


Heaven

by StarFromPhoenix



Series: More Myself Than I Am [8]
Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017), Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types, Call Me by Your Name - André Aciman
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, M/M, My Own Fantasy, Romance, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-08-01 16:28:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 43,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16287962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarFromPhoenix/pseuds/StarFromPhoenix
Summary: I've decided to flip the script!Elio is a foreign exchange student from Italy who is staying with a family in California during his senior year of high school. He meets their son, Oliver, and romance ensues! The story is set in modern day.Please don't repost my work without my permission :)I don't own these characters, they own me:)The title of my series: "More Myself Than I Am" comes from a quote from Wuthering Heights, which was referred to in the book:"He is more myself than I am, whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same."





	1. Lovers Alone Wear Sunlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies and welcome to part eight of my little series. Thank you for being patient and thank you for being with me from the beginning. It means more than you could EVER imagine!  
> We are in CREMA! It’s like a homecoming and a dream come true to me! I really don’t know how many chapters this part will have because they could be here forever if it was up to me! But anyway, instead of worrying about such trivial things I will instead go into full romantic overdrive and give the boys they summer I wish they had had somewhere in Northern Italy!  
> Also: this will mostly be from Oliver’s POV as I feel this will truly be his transformative summer as last summer was Elio’s. Without further ado, ENJOY! <3

We landed in Milan and got our luggage. I was introduced to an elderly gentleman named Anchise. We walked to a black mini van and we all piled in and took off. Elio and I are were in the very back row, Samuel sat up front with Anchise and Annella was in the middle row. 

Elio handed me his phone and told me he had made me a playlist for the drive home. I smiled and we each put in an earbud and listened. It was mostly classical which was lovely. We had been driving for while when Elio placed his head on my shoulder. After a while I became aware that he had fallen sleep. I shifted my body so he could be more comfortable.

I looked out the window. It was all pastures now and trees. It was beautiful.

“We’re almost there,” Annella said glancing back and smiling when she saw Elio had fallen sleep.

I smiled back. I looked out the window. Suddenly a song I had never heard before started playing. The guitar was soft and lovely. A man’s gentle voice started singing. “Oh, to see without my eyes, the first time that you kissed me. Boundless by the time I cried, I built your walls around me. White noise, what an awful sound, fumbling by Rogue River. Feel my feet above the ground, hand of God, deliver me. Oh, oh woe-oh-woah is me. The first time that you touched me. Oh, will wonders ever cease? Blessed be the mystery of love.”

I felt a bit overwhelmed by emotion. I leaned down and kissed Elio on the forehead. He didn’t even stir. How did I not even know this song? I looked out at the scenery around me. I’m not sure if it was the song, the beauty around me or the fact that I was in this beautiful place with the love of my life and we had a magical summer ahead of us. Maybe it was a combination of everything. The beautiful song continued.

“Lord, I no longer believe, drowned in living waters. Cursed by the love that I received from my brother's daughter. Like Hephaestion, who died Alexander's lover, now my riverbed has dried, shall I find no other? Oh, oh woe-oh-woah is me. I'm running like a plover. Now I'm prone to misery, the birthmark on your shoulder reminds me.” 

I took a deep breath and laid my cheek on Elio’s head. I closed my eyes and focused on the song.

“How much sorrow can I take? Blackbird on my shoulder. And what difference does it make when this love is over? Shall I sleep within your bed. River of unhappiness. Hold your hands upon my head, til I breathe my last breath. Oh, oh woe-oh-woah is me, the last time that you touched me. Oh, will wonders ever cease? Blessed be the mystery of love.”

I let out a breath. I played the song again. And again. And again until Annella told me we had reached the Villa. 

  

I had no choice but to wake Elio when we were pulling up to the Villa. He awoke with a start and I chuckled as he rubbed his eyes and tried to get his bearings. He was fully awake in no time. We all got out of the van and I looked around in amazement. “God it’s beautiful,” I said.

“Welcome! Welcome!” The professor said. I grinned as he patted me on the back. We all grabbed some luggage and made our way inside. It took a couple of trips but finally we got it all inside.

“Elio, show Oliver his room,” Annella said.

“My room,” Elio said.

“Si,” she said.

“Oliver! Our home is your home! Anything you need I’m sure Elio can show you but don’t hesitate to ask Annella or I,” he said warmly.

“Thank you, Professor,” I said. Elio and I grabbed a bag in each hand and made our way up the stairs. “Wow,” I said as I walked up.

Elio turned around and grinned at me. “Like it?” He asked.

“No. I love it,” I said as we reached the second floor. We walked across the hall and he opened the door, then a second door and we stepped inside his bedroom. I looked around and took it all in. Big window in front of me. The twin beds. I smiled. A large armoire. A bathroom on my right. I walked in and put our luggage in front of the armoire. We ran back downstairs and got our last bags. We climbed up the stairs again.

“Come on, lets push the beds together,” Elio said. I grinned and we did as he asked. He rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand. “So this is my room,” he said, blushing. Oh I fell in love with him more. I walked around to his side of the beds and kissed him.

“Yeah,” I said. I sat at the edge of the bed. I grabbed his hips and pulled him to me. He giggled. He was standing right in front of me, legs in either side of mine. I lifted his shirt and kissed his lower abdomen. “How do you feel having me in your room?” I asked as planted soft little kissed across his skin.

I felt his hands in my hair. I closed my eyes and nuzzled his stomach as I wrapped my arms around him. “Amazing,” He said.

 

We all sat outside. Annella, the professor, Elio and I and Elio’s aunt and uncle and three of his cousins. I, not speaking any Italian and they, not speaking any English, relied on the Perlman’s to translate questions and answers between us. I had been introduced to Mafalda by Elio once we had taken a quick shower and changed and went downstairs. 

I had marveled at Elio as I had watched him get dressed. He had jeans that he folded up round his ankles, his white high top converse on full display. He had a red and white button up shirt. He ran his hands through this short hair and looked gorgeous without even trying. I kissed his neck and told his so. “Look at you, European charm in full display!” I gently bit his neck. I loved how he had blushed. We had been standing in the bathroom. “I love your hair short. You’re sexy either way,” I said. He turned and slid his hands under my billowy baby blue button up shirt. I had khaki shorts on. 

He grinned. “Not as sexy as you,” he had said kissing my lips.

 

I looked at him now as he spoke to his cousin. I loved hearing him speaking Italian. Mafalda came out and started gathering dishes. I was going to get up to help her and she shook her head and patted my arm. I nodded in understanding. “Dinner was delicious!” I said to her. 

“Cosa dice?” She asked Elio.

“Il tuo cibo era delizioso!” Elio said winking at me.

Mafalda smiled and patted my shoulder. “Grazie, Ulliva,” she said laughing. I chuckled at how she said my name.

We had ice cream for dessert and then we moved inside. We hadn’t been inside long when I started yawning and rubbing my eyes, as was Elio. “Are you tired boys? You should go rest,” Annella said.

“I’m so sorry, it’s not even that late,” I said.

“Well, time zone changes and you too didn’t sleep on the plane at all. Go have a good nights sleep and tomorrow you will have all day to do as you please!” The professor said.

I stood up and Elio went and kissed his mom and dad. I went and hugged them and he kissed his aunt, uncle and cousins. I shook hands his aunt and uncle and waved at his cousins. We walked out of the living room and crossed the hallway to the stairs. Elio looked over his shoulder at me, cute smile on his lips. I smiled back. We reached the top of the stairs and walked across the hall to our room.

I walked in and plopped down on one of the beds. “Wow. I’m just drained,” I said. Elio nodded and smiled. I sat up. “What is it baby?” I asked.

“It’s so surreal that you’re here,” he said. “The last time I was here, a year ago. It was so different yet everything here is the same.”

I nodded and held my hand out. He took it and came and sat beside me. “I just want you happy,” I said.

“Oliver I’m over the moon,” he replied. We leaned in and kissed. “I’m also really fucking tired,” he said. We laughed. He got up and started to undress.

I suddenly remember the song playing on the way here. “There’s was that song on your playlist. Mystery of Love,” I told him.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” Elio asked. I nodded my head. I watched as he undid his shirt. “I’ve never heard another song quite like it. It’s beautiful in a really emotional way,” he said. I nodded again as he threw his shirt to the side. He took off his shoes and took off his jeans. He started walking to the luggage.

“No,” I said. He gave me a confused look. “No, come on, you’re not putting clothes on,” I said. He grinned and walked over to the bed. I undressed quickly and got in bed with him. We pulled the covers from the two separate beds and threw some over us. It was twilight outside. Elio laid back on my left shoulder as I caressed his smooth stomach. We looked out the window together.

“Tell me a poem, Oliver,” I heard Elio say softly. 

I turned my face to him and he turned his to me. I kissed the cute freckles on his nose. “Unlove’s the heavenless hell and homeless home of knowledgeable shadows. Quick to seize each nothing which all soulless wraiths proclaim substance, all heartless specters, happiness.” I took a breath in. “Lovers alone wear sunlight,” I smiled at Elio and kissed his nose again. Our room was growing darker. “The whole truth not hid by matter, not by mind revealed, more than all dying life, all living death, and never which has been or will be told, sings only, and all lovers are the song.” Elio smiled at me. He tilted up his face up and I kissed his lips. We turned to our sides and faced each other. “Here, only here, is freedom, always here,” I said as I slid my hand to his neck, caressing his cheek and jaw with my thumb. “No then of winter equals now of spring, but April’s day transcends November’s year. Eternity being so sans until twice I have lived forever in your smile.” 

“Mmmmm, E.E. Cummings?” Elio asked as I caressed his face. I felt his hands on my chest, the coolness of his silver band against my skin. 

“But of course,” I said. “The poem ends with forever in a smile but,” I smiled at him. “We both know I want to live twice forever in your smile.”

Elio grinned and grabbed my chin as we leaned in and kissed. We pulled back and we looked into each other’s eyes. “Being here, with you,” Elio said softly. “It’s like I’ve come full circle,” he said. “I was me and then I left and now I’m back but I’m so changed. I’m me but not me.” I nodded. “I’m me plus you,” he whispered.

“I love the way you say things,” I whispered back. “I’m me plus you too,” I agreed.

“Are you more me than you?” He asked giggling.

“Only if you’re more me than I am,” I answered kissing him all over his neck. He laughed his gorgeous laugh and tried to push me back unsuccessfully. I finally stopped and pulled back.

“Only if you are more myself than I am,” he whispered to me.

“You and I are the same,” I agreed whispering back to him.

“So I am you and you are me?” He asked. He smiled. The moon was shining bright now, in the through the large window and was casting the most gorgeous light over Elio’s features. He was beautiful, there was no denying it, but at this moment, he was heavenly. My angel. He truly was. “I am you and you are me,” he said in the softest of whispers.

I looked at his angelic face. “Oliver,” I whispered as I looked into his eyes.

He blinked and smiled in realization of what I had said. He pointed into my chest. “Elio?” He said, sounding as if he was asking me.

I grinned and nodded. “Oliver,” I repeated, calling him by my name a second time.

“Elio, Elio, Elio,” He said and I grabbed him and kissed him. I rolled him on top of me and he laughed as we kissed. He laid his cheek on my chest as I held him, his body laying on mine. After a moment he slid to my side again and we cuddled close. I wrapped my arms around him and held him to me.

“Have I died and gone to heave?” I asked him smiling.

“Mmmmm... even better my love,” he answered me in a whisper. “We are indeed in heaven, but we’re very much alive and are living in it. Heaven is our reality.”

“How lucky we are then,” I said softly to him. I closed my eyes. Elio in my arms was all I needed to feel at peace. I felt myself drifting off to sleep.


	2. Do As The Romans Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so... summer in Crema truly begins!  
> Enjoy  
> <3

I woke up and blinked my eyes at the brightness of the large window of our bedroom. Elio was nestled safely in my arms. I rubbed his back gently. I loved sleeping with him in my arms and keeping him safe. He was the most important thing in the world to me and keeping him safe and sound was something I would always do.  

I wasn’t sure what time it was. It didn’t matter. We were here in a timeless state, just him and I and the beauty around us. I took a deep breath in as the peacefulness of the moment filled me. I had been laying there for a moment when I felt him stir and stretch. I leaned back to give him room to stretch but he just leaned back into me, nuzzling my neck. I happily laid there and held him for as long as he needed me to.

A while later he was finally truly waking up. He kissed my neck and chest and pulled me to him. I felt his erection on my thigh as he sucked my neck gently. “Shall we christen my beds?” He asked me softly. 

“Mmmmmmm. Yes,” I said. I looked down at his beautiful face. I kissed his lips and rolled him on top of me. I sat up and leaned back against the headboards of one of the beds. I grabbed his thighs and pulled him on me as he straddled me. I was already hard, so was he. He leaned in and kissed me deeply. I don’t know if it was the way the sunlight hit him or just the fact that the sun seemed a different shade of yellow. Maybe it was his shorter hair. Or... well, I had known him a year now and suddenly Elio was looking older.

He got up and went to one of our bags and he came back and I watched him as he stroked lube on me. I moaned in pleasure. I leaned in and kissed his abdomen as he got up on his knees, straddling me again. I watched as every inch of me disappeared into that glorious body of his. I looked at his face. My heart skipped a beat as I remember the seventeen year old boy I had met and kissed and made love to for the first time. I looked at him now. Jaw, slightly more defined and soft stubble on his chin. I held his hips as he rolled them on me sensually, eliciting moans and groans from my lips.

He grabbed the headboard behind me and he leaned leaned his head back and moaned in the most delicious of ways as he rode me. He did this for a good while. I was overcome by pure lust and desire. I loved this man but all I could focus on right now was all the pleasure he was bringing me. I thrusted my hips up and enjoyed the grimace on his face. I thrusted up again and felt such a thrill when he said, “Fuck!” He opened his eyes brought his hands down and put them on my chest.

He leaned forward and kissed me and I grabbed his hips and thrusted my hips up into him in a frenzy. I needed to fuck him. His mouth was open and in top of mine. “Fuck! Daddy! Yes!” He kept repeating. I could feel the sweat on the back of my neck. This was too good. I had slid down the bed now and was almost laying flat on my back, my feet flat on the bed. His hands were on my chest and his slender fingers we pulling on my chest hair. I loved how his whole body shook at my deep, hard thrusts. His rock hard cock was leaking on my abdomen, the friction of our fucking bringing him as much pleasure as it was bringing me.

Suddenly he came and his delicious release spread up my abdomen all the way to my chest. I thrusted in him deep and came in him right after. I pushed up into him as I pulled his hips down. He moaned. We laid there panting and sweaty, unable to move for a good while. When we finally did, we rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom. We kissed under the shower as I washed him and he washed me.

When we were done, we dressed and I grinned as he slicked back the sides of his hair. “Love the hair,” I said as he pulled on some shorts and a red striped muscles tee.

I had some yellow shorts and a blue top. We went downstairs. Breakfast was laid out and Annella and the Professor were already there, reading the newspaper. Elio kissed his parents good morning and I leaned in and kissed the other cheek in a greeting as well. They were both so warm and lovely. “Look at this,” I said as I looked out at the orchard around us.

“These are Annella’s trees,” the Professor said.

“Pesca, melograno, albicocca,” Annella said with a smile.

“Peach,” I said. Elio grinned at me and nodded. He had taught me some food names in the weeks prior to coming here. “Pomegranate and apricot.”

 “Ah! Bene!” The professor said.

I grinned at them as I reached for an egg and put it in the little egg cup in front of me. They were in hot water and I assumed they were boiled. I grabbed a spoon and hit it with what I thought was reasonable force but I crushed the thing and made an absolute mess. There was laughter around the table and I felt my neck grow warm. “How stupid of me,” I said.

“Here, let me do it baby,” Elio said. I glanced up at him, warmth spreading through my chest. He had never called me baby before. I had called him baby all the time but he always called me “my love” or “daddy” which I loved, but he had never called me baby before. He caught my gaze and smiled at me and I watched as he grabbed an egg and another little egg cup and he gently tapped the side of the egg. His beautiful, delicate fingers peeled the top third of the shell away. I watched as he lovingly picked off any little piece of shell that had been left stuck and once the egg was perfect he sat it in front of me. I indeed felt like his baby and he was taking care of me. I was so in love.

I took his hand and kissed it. “Thank you my love,” I said and a smile spread across my lips as a blush spread across his beautiful cheeks. I kissed his palm as well and he giggled.

“You’re welcome,” he said.

I devoured the delicious egg quickly. “Have another egg,” said Annella.

“Or here, you want a crepe with Nutella? I love these,” Elio said. I nodded at him. It was delicious. He then cut up a peach for me and handed it to me in a bowl. The peach was juicy and amazing.

“Oh my god, these are amazing!” I said. Another round of laughter. I glanced at Elio. I watched as his perfect lips circles the slice of peach he was eating as he took a bite. He licked his bottom lip as the juice dripped down. He winked at me. He had never been sexier.

 

* * *

 

After breakfast was over, Elio had grabbed his guitar and I had grabbed my E.E. Cummings book. We had found a nice spot outside. He was on a stone bench and I spread out a beach towel in the shade of a large tree. He had taken his shirt off as had I. I was using mine as a pillow. I had stopped reading after a while and was just gazing up at him, admiring him as he strummed his guitar. He looked perfect from every angle. It was magical.

“Elio!” I heard someone call. I sat up and looked towards the house. There were two girls there. 

“Hey!” Elio said, smiling. He didn’t sound too happy. I stared at him. He put his guitar down.

One of the girls, the one with the longer hair, in a striped red and white top and denim shorts, came jogging up to us and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. I stood up, shook my shirt off and slid it on to my arms. I didn’t button it though. She was talking to him in rapid French and I had no idea what they were saying. Elio’s answers were short and seemed to be mostly yes or no. He stood up after a moment and came and stood beside me and grabbed a hold of my hand. 

“Marzia, this is my boyfriend, Oliver,” he said. “Oliver this is my friend Marzia. She’s from Paris and spends her summers here as well.”

She raised her eyebrows and if she was shocked at me being Elio’s boyfriend, it didn’t show. She smiled and came to me and stuck her hand out. “Enchante,” she said with a smile.

“Nice to meet you,” I answered back, shaking her hand. Marzia turned and called the other girl. She came and walked to us. She was in a white spaghetti tank top and denim miniskirt.

“This is my friend, Chiara,” Marzia said in a heavy French accent. 

“Hi, Chiara, nice to meet you,” I said shaking her hand.

“Chiara, Oliver c’est mon homme,” Elio said. I glanced at him and smiled. She nodded and smiled back. They spoke in quick French again and I couldn’t understand. After a moment then both said bye and Elio hugged Marzia again. He let out a sigh. “They wanted us to go out with them,” Elio said. 

“Ok,” I replied. I sat beside him on the stone bench.

“I told them not tonight. We have all summer. I just want to enjoy being here with you and just you right now,” he said looking up at me.

“Anything you want baby,” I said. I leaned in and kissed him. He gave me a sweet smile when we pulled apart then leaned in again and kissed my shoulder.

 

* * *

 

We had had a pleasant lunch on the other table that was under the shade of two large trees. After lunch was over Elio told me it was custom to sometimes have a nap.

“Really?” I asked. He nodded and smiled at me.

“We don’t have to, its just what happens here more often than not,” he said.

“What do you want to do?” I asked him.

He shrugged and stuck his bottom lip out. “We could swim,” he said. “We could go inside and we could read, as in, to each other,” he said. I chuckled. “I could play you the piano, we could listen to music,” he said. He looked into my eyes. “We could go to our room and make out,” he said.

“Yeah, ok, let’s start with that,” I said.

Elio laughed. We got up and we made our way inside the house. We ran up the stairs and walked into our room. Elio slid off his shirt. I looked at the beds, remembering this morning. I felt Elio wrap his arms around me from behind and slide them under my shirt. I chuckled and ran my hands on top of his. I took my shirt off. I turned to face him.

“So you and that Marzia girl dated right?” I said.

He looked a bit surprised that I was asking him. He shrugged. “I mean we kissed a few times but it never got any more serious than that,” he said. I nodded. He walked to me and wrapped his arms around me again. “I’m all yours,” he said. 

“As am I,” I said. “Completely yours.” I reached for his left hand and kissed the silver band around his finger. 

“How about tomorrow we go to Crema and I show you around,” he said.

“Ok,” I nodded.

We went and laid on the bed. I stretched and yawn escaped me. “Oh... when in Rome!” He said. 

I laughed. “We’re not IN Rome,” I said. I wrapped my arms around him. “Holding you is so peaceful,” I said. “I will never ever have trouble sleeping as long as I’m holding you every night.” 

“Then you’ll never ever have trouble sleeping because I plan to have you hold me every single night from now on,” Elio said.

“Good,” I said. “Good.”

We chatted a while and we both started yawning. Soon enough we had just drifted off into a light sleep. When in Rome, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the book, there was this one part where Elio says that the morning after Oliver had bottomed for him for the first time he had taken his egg and peeled it for him and he had done this because he wanted to take care of Oliver because the night before he had let Elio be on top and I have ALWAYS loved that... which inspired me to write the little breakfast scene.  
> I actually asked myself if I wanted Marzia and Chiara to appear but it seemed silly of them not to because they exist in the world of Cream plus they need some friends their age and nope, there will be nothing happening or any one of the girls trying to get in between our boys, this chapter will be completely about love and the magic of Northern Italy! <3


	3. Pathless Woods

Elio and I woke up from our nap and stretched and decided to have a dip in the pool. I loved his pool. It had a faucet where the water came out off. We stepped in and sunk to the bottom. I then floated in the surface while Elio leaned on the side in his with his sunglasses. This felt perfect. 

I swam to him and stood up, pressing his body to mine. “What are you thinking of my love?” I asked him with a gentle kiss. “A book, a song or poem?”

He grabbed my shoulders and hoisted himself up, wrapping his legs around me. I slid my hands under him and held him in place. I walked backwards until my back hit the other side of the pool. “A poem,” he said kissing me.

“Do tell, my angel,” I said to him.

He grinned. “There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is a rapture on the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep Sea, and music in its roar: I love not Man the less, but Nature more, from these our interviews, in which I steal, from all I may be, or have been before, to mingle with the Universe, and feel what I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.”

“Lord Byron,” I said.

“Indeed,” Elio replied.

“To be one with nature,” I said. He nodded as he looked down at me. “You told Chris you had a spot here,” I said.

“Yeah, I do,” he whispered.

“Will you take me there?” I asked him.

“Of course baby,” he said.

“Baby,” I repeated.

“Yes, baby,” he replied and smiled down at me.

“You never called me that before. Not till this morning,” I said.

“Do you like it?” He asked in a low voice.

“I love it,” I told him caressing his cheek. I took his sunglasses off. “You are beautiful,” I said. He grinned and kissed me deeply.

 

* * *

 

The following morning after breakfast Elio told me he wanted to take me to Crema. We got the bikes he had ready. I had my backpack with some frozen water bottles and we also took a thin picnic blanket as he said he wanted to take me to his spot and take some time there.

We rode our bikes to Crema, Elio in a white Talking Heads shirt and paisley print shorts and me in a shirt and shorts as well. I marveled at the beautiful landscape. It was lush and green and gorgeous. Elio was riding in front of me. We rode for maybe 40 minutes or so but I was so enamored by all the beauty around me that I truly felt like we got there in the blink of an eye.

“I need to go to the post office,” he said showing me a pink paper. I furrowed my brow and nodded as I grabbed his bike.

“Ok,” I said. I looked around at the quiet town. There were a few people here and there but it wasn’t crowded or busy at all. It was gorgeous. I watched as Elio slipped into a building. I lifted my sunglasses and looked at the narrow cobble stone streets. It felt as if time had stopped in Crema. I wondered what it would be like to live here. I looked up and imagine me and Elio having a small apartment and opening up the shutters to our bedroom window as we napped in the afternoons.

“Hey,” I heard Elio say. It startled me and I looked around to him quickly. We laughed. “Come on, let’s go to the bookstore,” he said taking his bike. I nodded and we walked forward. We reached the small book store in no time and parked our bikes outside. We stepped inside. “Get anything you want,” he said turning to me. “My father has an account with them,” he said. 

“I have money,” I said shrugging. 

“Shut up,” he said and I chuckled. We started looking around. Time felt like it had indeed stopped here. I ran my fingers over some leather bound volumes, the titles in Italian. “The books in English are over there,” Elio said to me. I merely nodded and continued touching the books. I didn’t care that I didn’t understand the words written, this place felt magical to me. I again wondered what it would be like to live here with Elio. I wondered if I’d ever even think of California.

I looked up at Elio and saw he was looking at me, hint of a smile on his lips. “What are you thinking about?” He asked me. I smiled and looked down at the books again. I had no secrets from Elio, he was my everything, but this little daydream, I was not quite ready to divulge. I felt if I told him it would be like telling a wish you had wished upon on a fountain as you threw in a coin or as you blew out your candles on a birthday cake. You weren’t supposed to tell those wishes because they would then never come true.

I continued running my fingertips over the books I saw. I went back to my daydream. I looked up at him suddenly, thinking of a poem. He looked at me again. He raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner. “Just thought of a poem,” I said.

“Do tell,” he said.

“Later,” I answered. “It’s not one we’ve not spoken of before.”

He smiled again and came and stood beside me, he wrapped his arm around my waist and leaned on my arm. I kissed the top of his head. “Your soul is so much more quiet here,” he said softly.

“I don’t think more quiet, just maybe more peaceful,” I said. “Life moves slower here,” I said. “I like it.”

Elio slid his hand in mine and laced his fingers through mine. We moved around the small bookstore. We finally made it to the English section. “Tell me if you see anything you like,” he whispered. 

“You probably own everything that’s in here,” I said chuckling and remembering his father’s study and all the bookshelves.

“I’m talking about for you,” he said softly. 

“I would love anything you get me,” I said. We looked at one another. He pursed his lips together and looked round. I notice his cheeks are a bit more hollow than when we met. Again, I’m taken aback by how much more manly and handsome he’s looking.

He takes a deep breath in and out. “Ok, then I’ll just choose a book to read to you while we’re here,” he says. I see him get something and walk to the register. He talked to the clerk and then a few minutes later comes back to me. He hands me Pride & Prejudice.

I grin and lean in and kiss him. “Perfect, thank you my love.”

We walked out of the book store. “Let’s stay and have lunch here,” Elio tells me. “After lunch we can ride out to my spot.”

I nod. We go to a cafe in the meantime and get something cold to drink.  We sit outside and I looked around, again marveling at the quietness of the town and laid back atmosphere. “It’s so peaceful,” I tell Elio. I reach for his hand and hold it. I close my eyes and take a deep breath in and out. I open my eyes and look around. I find Elio looking at me and smiling. 

“You look at peace,” he tells me.

“I am,” I answer. “When I was younger I had a bit of claustrophobia,” I tell Elio. He looks my way, his brow furrowed. “It was.. it was related to anxiety. I learned to control it all as I got older but when I was 12, 13 it would sometimes just happen and I couldn’t do anything about it. My Bubbe took me to talk to someone,” I tell him. “To my mother, you know that’s like showing weakness to her. Anyway,” I let out a breath. “Since the root of the claustrophobia was anxiety, he told me to just picture open spaces. Wide open spaces. And I used to think of places like this,” I said. “Like when we were riding here. The open fields and lush greenness and blue skies.”

Elio grinned at me. “That’s wonderful,” he says. We hold hands and sit and chat a while longer. We then go to the pizzeria nearby. The pizza is delicious and we wolf it down in no time. We sit for a moment until our food is settled.

Soon, we’re ready to go to Elio’s spot and I’m very excited. We got on our bikes again and I follow Elio down the narrow roads. It’s hot. We stop a couple of times and share a cold water bottle. We continue on our ride. 

Finally, Elio lead me down a path. I see him get off his bike so I jump off mine. “Take off your shoes,” Elio says.

I do as he tells me and slips my shoes off and we throw them by our bikes. We walk down a small embankment. I see him sit and walk into the water. I take my time and before I step in the water I stop and put my hands on my hips and look around the area. It’s beautiful of course, green and lush, the sky blue. I finally step into the water and I’m suddenly shocked by how cold the water at my feet is.

“Oh my good! It’s freezing!” I call out and Elio laughs. I wade across the shin deep water, feeling cooled down instantly.

“This is my spot,” Elio says to me softly. He reaches out to me and I take his hand. “It’s all mine. I can’t tell you the number of books I’ve read here,” he says. I wrap my arms around his waist and hold his body tight against mine, his back to my chest. I feel him run him hands up my arms as I kiss this neck. 

“This place is beautiful,” I whisper in his ear. 

“It’s more beautiful now that I’m here with you,” he said.

We stayed in the water a moment and then we finally made our way out. We went to our bikes and Elio got his backpack. We walked along the banks to a nice spot where we put our blanket down. It was late afternoon now and the sun had shifted. I laid back on the blanket and closed my eyes. 

“Oliver,” Elio’s voice floated to me. I opened my eyes and sat up, sliding my sunglasses up on my head.

“Yes?” I said sitting up.

He reached into his backpack and took out a small box. “I got you something,” he said quietly.

I looked as he handed me the box. It was whatever he had gotten from the post office. I opened it to find another box inside. I look up at him and he smiled at him. The golden afternoon sun was hitting him just right. His sage green eyes had a gorgeous shade of amber. My heart beat a bit faster and I opened up the second box. I couldn’t help but gasp. There was a ring inside. A silver band similar to the one I had given him.

He took it out with his beautiful fingers and slid it onto my left ring finger. I stared at him, his hair almost a honey golden color in the golden evening sun. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. “It doesn’t have to mean anything more than you want it to,” he said breathlessly and rushing his words. “It only has to mean -“ 

“It means that we are happy,” I said grabbing him and kissing him. I had never been happier in my life. 


	4. Night Out

A couple of days later Elio and I decided take up Marzia and Chiara’s offer of going out. Elio put on some black skinny jeans and a gray v neck. I was in some white jeans and a mint green polo. The professor said we could borrow his car and go. We hopped in, Elio in the passenger seat and he directed me to Marzia’s home. It was close by. Once we had picked the girls up we drove to the club. It was a quick 15 minute drive. 

The club was in an open courtyard so the music was loud from the moment we pulled into the small gravel parking lot. We walked in. There was a large group that knew Elio, Marzia and Chiara. Elio wrapped his arm around my waist and I threw mine around his shoulders and Elio introduced me to everyone and told me names but I knew I wasn’t going to remember them all. We went and got something to drink. After a few songs we decided to go dance.

We had just stepped out into the dance floor when Heaven by The Psychedelic Furs came on. Elio and I grinned at each other as we let loose and danced around. Marzia and Chiara were also dancing around us. I caught sight of Elio and just enjoyed watching as he swiveled his hips around. He was so gorgeous. A few more dance songs came on and we kept dancing. After a while there was a change in tempo. Love Song by 311 came on and Elio came to me and I put my arms around his waist. I was able to pretty much scan the crowd and noticed no one was paying attention to us and we weren’t the only couple of guys dancing together. Another pair of guys was dancing among the crowd. Chiara was dancing with some guy in a denim jacket and Marzia was dancing with a long haired boy that was in the group Elio introduced me to.

I looked into Elio’s eyes as the lyrics started.

 “Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am home again. Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am whole again.”

We smiled and danced. He leaned in closer to me. It was wonderful holding him close.

“Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am free again. Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am clean again. However far away, I will always love you. However long I stay, I will always love you. Whatever words I say, I will always love you. I will always love you.”

I took a deep breath in and the upbeat music started again. We were back to dancing in a circle away. We lost track of time and danced until our legs couldn’t take it anymore.

 

* * *

 

It was past midnight when we left the club and we drove Chiara and Marzia to Marzia’s home. I waited until they walked inside and then Elio and I took off for the villa. When we got there we quietly entered the house, climbed up the stairs and went into our bedroom. We undressed and crawled into bed.

I laid on my back as he propped himself up on his right arm. He ran his left palm across my chest. “Did you have fun?” He asked me in a soft whisper.

“Yes,” I whispered back, taking his hand and kissing the band on his left finger. He took my left hand and kissed the band I had there, smiling down at me. I grinned up to me. I felt his hands slide down my body and into my boxers. My body tensed momentarily at his touch. He bit his lip when he saw how quickly I was becoming hard in his hand. I remember back to the first night he had done this, back in our home in Santa Barbara. I had been so nervous. There were butterflies in my stomach now as well.

I looked at his angelic face as he looked over my body. His long lashes almost touching his cheeks. His perfect nose and full lips. His cute chin and the lovely waves and curls in his hair. The moonlight gave him a slightly blue hue. He was perfection. His eyes opened up as he gazed into my eyes and my heart skipped a beat. “What?” He whispered with a gorgeous smile. I loved the way his eyes crinkled on the sides as I wanted to kiss those sweet cheeks of his. 

“Just admiring you,” I said as his hand stroked me. I let out a soft moan. He leaned down and kissed me as he kept stroking me. He rubbed my tip with his thumb and spread the wetness down my shaft. I reached down and pushed my boxers down, my body now in full display and at his disposal. He kissed down my jaw and neck.

“You’re so perfect,” he whispered in my ear, his soft lips tickling my ear. I felt my face grow warm at this. I turned my face and kissed his lips as he kept stroking me. He let go of me for a second as he pushed down his boxers and took hold of me again. He leaned into me and kept kissing my lips. He was leaning on his right forearm, stroking me with his left hand. He had slid his left leg between mine, his erection rubbing against my body. I reached down and wrapped my fingers around him. His body shivered.

He kept kissing me and moaning into my mouth and lips. His eyes closed. It was amazing. He was heavenly. Elio’s beauty has no comparison. The moans escaping his lips reverberated into my lips and down my body. His eyes were still closed which just made him look even more gorgeous. He was squeezing my erection harder as I felt him tense. He was thrusting into my hand. I had my thumb over his tip, caressing it as he thrusted into it. He licked and kissed my lips. He bit my chin gently as he groaned, getting closer to orgasm.

He let go of my chin and I felt his warm, viscous release shoot into my hand. His lithe body trembling on top of mine. He leaned his forehead on my cheek and he was making these lovely “Ooh, ooh, ooh,” sounds as the waves of his climax washed over his body. I came then. I turned my face and found his perfect lips as I bucked my hips up as I climaxed. We laid there panting. Elio reached over and grabbed a towel. We wiped off and then settled into bed, throwing the covers over us. Elio cuddled into me.

The satisfaction and relaxation I was feeling was wonderful. Elio’s soft lips found my collar bone. I hummed in deep satisfaction. My palms ran all over Elio’s soft back. “My baby,” I whispered. “Love of my life.”

“Mmmmm, and you’re mine,” Elio whispered back. “You’re mine.” We drifted off to a peaceful sleep soon after.


	5. A Little Hideaway

It was a couple of days after our night out. The Professor and Annella had lunch guests over. A pleasant couple who talked and talked and talked. I was at one end of the table. I felt my eyes wander over to the orchard and watching the sun glisten off the ripe fruit and shiny healthy leaves. It was really hot in Italy and the villa had no air conditioning but we kept the doors and most window open.

I hardly wore flip flops or sandals even in California but I had taken to wearing flip flops here. The day after our night out we had driven into a town close by with Annella and she insisted on buying me flip flops. “I’ll get a pair for Elio too!” She said as if to fully convince me.

“Oh, well how can you say no to that!” Elio had said to me with a wink. He was so sexy.

We sat there now, the Italian couple talked a million miles an hour. I took a deep breath in as I wondered what Mafalda would give us for desert. She came now with some tiramisu. I loved it. Elio and I smiled at each other as we dug in. Once it was done I was beginning to feel sleepy. I suddenly felt Elio’s foot caressing mine. I glanced over but he was looking at the lunch guests and not me. 

I felt his soft toes caress the top and side of my foot. He slid to my ankle. He caressed it and then went back down to my foot. I lifted my foot slightly and rubbed the arch of his foot. He chuckled. I thought it was me tickling his foot but a second later the whole table laughed so it just seemed like he was laughing along with them.I sighed happily.

After lunch was over we went inside and Elio played piano for everyone. After several songs we bid farewell to the lunch guests. I stayed sprawled out on the loveseat and Elio continued playing the piano. He would look back at me and smile every once in a while. I would smile back as I laid there admiring his beauty, and talent. He had his shirt off and I love how his skin seemed to glisten with a thin layer of sweat. I’d look out the window sometimes but not for long, and then I’d look back at Elio. He was a dream come true.

Annella and the Professor came and kissed us as they made their way upstairs for their afternoon nap. Elio finished playing the song he was playing. He stood from the piano and came to me. “Come on, let’s start reading Pride & Prejudice,” he said in a soft voice. I nodded and got up and followed him upstairs. I loved this villa. I touched the walls as we walked upstairs. I felt like it’s history spoke to me through its walls. Once in our room Elio grabbed the book and then said “Come on,” I again.

We got up and went downstairs and went to the hallway leading off the kitchen. There was another small stairway there. It was dark and finally when we reached the top, I saw it opened up into a room. “What is this?” I asked.

“My little hideaway at home,” Elio said in a sweet voice.

“And it takes you a week to show me it?” I asked with mock hurt. I watched as Elio grabbed a mattress and throw it on the floor. We pushed it against the wall. Elio took his shirt off and laid on it and I followed suit. He giggled as I got on the mattress with him, pulled him to me and kissed him all over his face. He got up and grabbed a couple of pillows that were on a chair close by. We laid back down.

“Shall I read to you, my love?” He asked me softly.

“Yes, please,” I said. He propped himself up on his left arm. He laid the book on my stomach and he started reading. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife...”

I caressed and kissed Elio softly as he read to me. I watched his gorgeous lips and perfect face as he continued along. I reached up and glided my fingertips along his jaw. I leaned and kissed it. He looked down at me and grinned. He closed the book. “What?” I asked.

He took the book tossed it to the floor. He laid on me. “It’s a little hard to focus on reading when you’re caressing and kissing me,” he said softly.

I grinned up at him. “I’m sorry, should we try again? I can try to stop but...” I looked at him and he laughed softly. “You’re just so kissable,” I said as I kissed his neck. “Touchable,” I whispered as I caressed his chest. 

“No, no,” he said, biting his lower lip and looking down at me. “We got all summer to finish the book,” he said. “Right now, though, you’re all I want and need.” I felt my heart beat harder as his lips meet my chest. I let out a ragged breath. He softly moaned as his tongue licked my right nipple. I felt goosebumps on my skin. “I love your body,” he says softly.

“I love yours,” I tell him.

He softly laughs. Even his laugh sounds older, more mature. “Take your shorts off,” he commands me and I obey. Once my shorts and boxers are off, he gets up on his knees and I see him remove his. He kneels between my legs. He’s rubbing my thighs, up to my hips and down to my knees. It’s slow and gentle, sweet and loving. Yet his finger tips dig into my skin just enough to show me the intensity with which he wants me. It’s little things like this that I love about our love. The simple small things. The touch that’s more than a touch. The looks that are more than just looks. The soft words we whisper to each other and the fact that we both have rings that just mean we’re happy.

I watch his face as his eyes wander over my body. He’s still caressing my thighs. Then, as he’s making his way up from my knees back up to my hips, he extends his thumbs out and turns in slightly, caressing my inner thighs. My cock reacts to this of course, my back arches slightly and my hips lift off the mattress. I’ve not taken my eyes off his face and I see the smile spread across his perfect lips as he watches my body react to his touch.

“Underneath it all begins to ripple, beneath the accordion folds of a perfect afternoon, the phosphorescent streets lost in rain while falling from vision, a number of pearly clouds. Words silent, when it all begins to unfold, how well I remember how it passed; washing the skin on the body, drinking in the feelings, the melting smiles. Igniting rare visions for numberless minutes- praying before the stolen cenotaph of a beautiful man's mind.” He looks up at me. He hasn’t stopped caressing my thighs.

“That was beautiful,” I said, panting slightly.

“Patti Masterman, I found her in Poem Hunter a while back,” Elio said. He leaned in and kissed my stomach. I felt my skin tingle as his perfect lips worked their way down my body. I caressed his arms. I felt him kiss the tip of my throbbing erection. I felt his tongue lick it clean. I moaned softly. He then slid it into his mouth as he stroked me. Waves of pleasure washed over me. I got up on my elbows, looked down and watched as Elio slid me in and out of his mouth.

My heart pounded. It wasn’t the first time Elio had done this, but it was the first time he was doing this here. In this perfect daydream of a place. It was hot, in every way possible. I could see the sweat on my chest and on Elio’s arms. I watched as his perfect lips squeezed around my pulsing erection. His tongue swirling around me, his mouth warm, wet and perfect. 

I thrusted up. I moaned and groaned. I closed my eyes and hung my head back. My hips had a mind of their own. They thrusted up into Elio mouth. I felt my thighs tense as he squeezed them. I looked down at Elio as well. My hips thrusted up and he took all of me in. It was amazing. He was taking me so well. His cheeks were flushed. He looked heavenly. I wasn’t going to last much longer. I fell back into the mattress. He took in as much of me as he could fit in his mouth and sucked. Hard. Mere seconds later I came and he swallowed all of my release. My whole body writhed and shivered with utter satisfaction.

I laid there panting and sweaty. Elio came and laid on top of me. “Was that good?” He asked breathlessly kissing my neck.

“Fuck yes,” I said panting.

We kissed and I felt his erection rubbing on my lower abdomen. As we kept kissing I grabbed him and turned him over, laying him on his back. I kissed and licked down his perfectly gorgeous body. He moaned as I did this. I kissed the underside of his gorgeous cock. I started from the base, opening my lips and sucking gently as I kissed every inch of him up to his tip. His thighs had goosebumps. I softly caressed them as I sucked on his tip. His moans were music to my ears. He started thrusting up into my mouth. I loved seeing him like this. He grabbed my hair and started fucking my mouth and I loved it. I wanted him to give in and let go. I felt the sweat on the back of my neck. 

I opened wide and relaxed my throat and let him do as he pleased. He felt it and he didn’t hold back. I wanted to please him in every way imaginable. He started thrusting quicker and I felt his body begin to tense. His moans were long and low and intense and they filled the room. Then he came. I swallowed every drop. He kept thrusting in gently, moaning as the slid in. I sucked him gently until he became too sensitive for more.

I crawled up and spooned him. I was beyond satisfied. I was in a state on Nirvana. “That was so good,” Elio said softly.

“It always is,” I said and kissed his neck.

He slid back, as close as possible against me. He fit perfectly. I looked as a few rays of sun shone into the room through the cracks on the shutters. I could see the dust floating and dancing around in them. I was in Heaven. This was it. I was in the perfect place at the perfect time with the perfect person. 

This was my life. How lucky I was. My eyelids were becoming heavy. I started loosing focus on the dancing dust. Soon I was falling into a peaceful sleep.


	6. A New Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My darlings, you all did remember that Mr. Perlman takes in a guest undergraduate student every summer right? After all, if he didn’t, none of us would be here! This summer is no different.  
> Enjoy!  
> <3

I had been in Crema for two weeks now and Elio and I bounded down the stairs for breakfast. The Professor and Annella were already there and Elio and I kissed them both good morning, one at each cheek. 

“Boys, tomorrow our guest student will be arriving,” the Professor said.

“Guest student?” I asked.

“Every year I host an American undergraduate student for six weeks,” the professor explained. “They spend time with us and I offer help with their Thesis.”

“Wow,” I said. The Professor smiled.

“Oh! Who is it this year?” Elio asked.

“Her name is Shannon Michaels. She’s studying history at Yale and she’ll be arriving tomorrow,” the Professor said.

“Yale, nice,” Elio said. I nodded in agreement. 

Elio handed me my peeled egg and I dug in.It was, as always, delicious. After breakfast was done Annella asked Elio and I if we could help her pick some peaches. We did and also picked some apricots as well. Mafalda made us some apricot juice and it was absolutely delicious.

“I can’t believe it’s been two weeks already,” I said to Elio and Annella as she cut up some peaches and handed them to us in bowls with yogurt.

“Time flies when you’re having fun,” Annella said smiling.

I chuckled. “I wish time would stand still here,” I said quietly. “I don’t know if I want to go back.” I looked up slowly. Annella was arranging the fruit we had picked into a large bowl with a slight smile. I looked at Elio and he was looking at me with a shocked look on his face.

“You mean that?” He asked in a whisper “Don’t say that if you don’t mean it,” he said even more softly.

I furrowed my brow, wondering why he would say that. “Why would I say it if I didn’t mean it?” I asked feeling a little hurt.

“Oh baby, I’m sorry,” he said reaching for my hand. I instantly felt better.

“No, no, it’s ok. I’m sorry I overreacted,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed. 

“No, you didn’t overreact,” Elio said. He gave me a sweet smile as he caressed the back of my hand with his thumb. “All I was trying to say is... I just love that you feel that way. It’s almost too good to be true. I love that you love it here,” he said. 

“I always thought this Villa would be a beautiful place for a wedding,” Annella said. 

“Maman! Qu’est que tu dis!” Elio said. I knew he had asked what was she saying. He blushed deeply. His beautiful cheeks turning a bright pink. I couldn’t help but laugh. He was so gorgeous. “Don’t laugh!” He told me. That made me laugh even harder. I grabbed the edge of his stool and pulled him closer to me and wrapped him in my arms. He buried his face in my chest. I was still laughing and grinning. Annella looked at us and smiled. It was so genuine and full of love and I knew she felt that love for me as well. It was a wonderful feeling.

 

* * *

 

The evening sun was starting to change color. We maybe had about half an hour left of sunlight. Just enough time to get us home. Elio and I had gone out for a walk and we were now walking back to the villa. The symphony of the Italian countryside in the evening was playing around us. “So you meant it?” Elio asked me quietly. A random car passed by.

“What?” I asked.

“There is really a part of you that doesn’t want to go back?” He asked.

I looked at my beautiful love. He was looking at the ground. He finally looked up at me. “This is heaven,” I said softly.

“Heaven?” He asked.

I nodded. “Yes, Heaven. The perfect place, the perfect time and with the perfect person,” I said looking into his eyes. I loved the way he looked at me when I said this. “Heaven.”

He grinned happily. “Maybe...” he trailed off. 

“Maybe..?” I asked.

“Maybe we can see if in the future we come back. We could maybe even see if we come in the winter. It snows but it’s just as pretty, just in a different way,” he said.

I nodded. “I would love that, Elio,” I said.

“You should learn Italian,” he said.

“Well, maybe you should teach me,” I said grinning at him. “You could be my teacher.”

“Oh yes! I so could be!” He said. “I’ll teach you and reward you when you’ve been a good boy and spank you when you’ve been naughty!” He said quietly in a serious voice.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Ok, that arrangement sound like a total win win for you!” I said.

“For you too!” He exclaimed. “Like you don’t like being spanked?” He asked me.

I grinned at him. I could see the villa up ahead. “That’s besides the point!”

“No that IS the point!” Elio said laughing as well. I shook my head.

I looked back at him. He was looking down as we walked, we were almost home. I took a deep breath in. “I know a poem. The ending is sad but the beginning is so perfect for right now,” I said.

“Who’s it by?” Elio asked.

“Anik Thapa,” I said. “It’s called A Lover’s Complaint.”

“Well, lets hear the beginning then,” Elio said.

“These streets I walk, they call your name.  Where my excursions have not been the same. These trees and the birds sing your song. When it rains, they’d want us to come along. These evening breezes whisper me by the ear, about how they loved seeing us in pair...” I recited. “The rest is about how the love isn’t returned,” I explained.

“These streets I walk, they call your name,” Elio repeated. “These streets I walk, they call you name.” I smiled as Elio said the line a few more times. We reached the villa and walked through the green door that led to the back of the house. There was hardly any sunlight left. We walked up the side of the house and made our way inside.

Annella and the Professor were watching tv. “You boys heading upstairs?”

“Soon, we’re gonna get something to drink first,” said Elio. “Maybe a snack.”

“Ok! Just a reminder, Shannon will be here tomorrow afternoon. Please be ready to say hello when she arrives. I’m going with Anchise to pick her up,” the Professor said.

We nodded and made our way to the kitchen. I was thirsty so I had some apricot juice and grabbed a bottle of water to take upstairs. I also grabbed a peach. I looked at the fruit in my hand and thought of the ones in California. They seemed quite small in comparison. I grabbed some napkins and Elio and I made our way upstairs. We undressed and settled in bed. “They’re so big and juicy,” I said.

Elio looked at me. “Huh?” He asked with an amused look on his face.

“The peaches here. They’re so big and juicy,” I said. I took a bite of the deliciously sweet fruit.

Elio laughed. “Oh... the peaches. Big. Juicy. For a moment I thought you were describing yourself,” he said. I let out a laugh. He grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand towards him and he took a bite as well.

I kissed him quickly. We laughed. “Mmm, peachy,” I said.

“Indeed,” He said winking.

 

* * *

 

It was around 2 pm the next day when we finallyheard the Professor and Anchise pull up in front of the house. Annella walked outside. “Should we go out?” I asked Elio.

“Nah, let’s stay in. They all have to come in eventually,” Elio said smiling. I nodded and grinned at him in agreement.

“So they host someone every year?” I asked.

“For as long as I can remember,” Elio said nodding. “They had a guy last year that tried to hit on me,” Elio said. I looked at him. He glanced at me and then looked away.

“Hit on you how? Did he try to kiss you?” I asked.

“No,” Elio said. “I never let him get close. But he started buying me things and then asked if I wanted to take a walk. I said no. He told me he just wanted to be friends. I said I thought he and I already were.”

I nodded. I didn’t like this. “What did you do with what he gave you?” I asked.

“Uh well, he ended up buying me chocolates more than anything. They happen to be Mafalda’s favorite so I always gave them to her. He gave me flowers which have long ago wilted away,” Elio said. “And a postcard.”

“A postcard?” I asked, my brow furrowed. He nodded.

“Boys!” We heard the Professor call us. We walked to the front door. I pushed the thoughts of this postcard out of mind.

Annella was inside. “Come. Both of you, help your father with the luggage please,” she said to us. I felt a smile on my lips. She hasn’t just said that to Elio but to both of us.

Elio and I made our way outside and saw there was quite a bit of luggage. Elio and I grabbed one with each hand and brought it in. I glanced back and saw the professor talking to a girl with long black hair. Her back was to me so I couldn’t see anything else. Her hair almost reached her waist. Once inside Annella asked us to take the luggage to the small bedroom attached to ours. “You’ll be sharing a bathroom with her,” Annella said. We nodded. We took her luggage upstairs.

I had never been inside this smaller room. We walked in through our room. “How is she getting out?” I asked.

“Through the bathroom, it’s the only way,” Elio said. I nodded. “Normally I take this room and the student guest takes my normal room but this bed is too small for both of us,” Elio said pointing to the twin size bed in the room. It has a green metal bed frame. “And neither you or I can share a room with her,” Elio said.

“Yup,” I said. We exited the room through the bathroom this time and went downstairs. We found the Professor and Annella in the study along with the guest student. We walked in.

“Ah! Shannon, I’d like you to meet our sons, Elio and Oliver. Boys, this is Shannon,” the Professor said. Shannon was tall and slender with long black hair. She was tanned with dark eyes and very pretty. 

“Wonderful to meet you both,” she said extending her hand out, friendly smile on her face. Elio took it first.

“Nice to meet you too, I’m Elio,” he said.

“Wonderful to meet you,” I said. “Oliver.”

“You must be tired dear,” Annella said.

“Yeah, it’s a long flight,” she said.

“Boys, will you please show Shannon to her room,” she said.

Elio and I agreed, and we made our way upstairs. As we were going up the stairs I saw Shannon look around in awe just like I did my first day here. “So you guys spend every summer here?” She asked looking at us and smiling.

“Yeah, summer and winter holidays,” Elio said. “I have anyway this is Oliver’s first time here. He’s my boyfriend,” Elio explained.

“Yeah your dad said his sons but I didn’t think you two looked like brothers,” she said giggling.

We reached the second floor and crossed the hallway. “Sorry, you’ll have to go in through the bathroom,” Elio said. She went in first and we went in behind her. I stood at the doorway. Shannon looked around the small room.

“Very pretty,” she said. She pointed to the door that led to our room. “Your guy’s room?” She asked. We nodded. “So Oliver are you Italian?” She asked. 

“No I’m from California. Elio came to us as an exchange student,” I told her.

“And one thing led to another,” Elio continued.

“And here you both are. How nice,” she said sitting down on her bed and yawning. Elio and I had just made the journey so we knew how tired she was.

“We’ll let you rest,” I said.

“See you at dinner,” Elio said and he went through the bedroom door to our room and I went into our room thriugh the bathroom. Elio and I met inside. We closed our doors gently behind us.

I opened my arms and he came to me and I kissed and hugged him. “Wanna nap?” Elio asked me with a sweet smile.

“I don’t know about nap, but maybe we can cuddle,” I said nuzzling his cheek.

We removed our shirts and got in bed. I held him in my arms and Elio leaned on my shoulder. “Mmmm, Heaven,” Elio said softly.

I smiled and kissed the top of his head. “So, um,” I said a bit nervously. “Where is the postcard from? Like the picture on it?”

“Postcard?” Elio asked.

“The one the guy gave you last year,” I said with an air of annoyance.

Elio sat up and looked at me. “You’re jealous of a guy hitting on me?” He asked.

“Wouldn’t you be?” I asked.

He pursed his lips and gave me a half smiled. He got up and went to the desk in the bedroom. He looked around and then went around the beds to the bookshelf on the right. He rummaged around and looked around. “Ok,” he said. He turned and handed me a postcard. I looked at the pretty building and read the caption at the bottom. Piazza Vecchia,Bergamo. I turned it. _Think of me someday._

I furrowed my brow. “Think of me someday? Did he write that? What garbage,” I said without waiting for answer.

“You’re so cute when you’re jealous,” Elio said, getting on the bed and straddling me. He sat on my lap and wrapped his arms around my neck. 

“I’m not jealous,” I said. I knew I wasn’t convincing anyone. Elio raised his eyebrows. “I just want you to only have gifts I’ve given you,” I said sounding childish.

“It’s a postcard, baby,” he said. “I’ll throw it away -“

“No,” I said, suddenly embarrassed. Elio leaned in and kissed my neck. I looked at the postcard.

“We can go there,” Elio said. “We can take a bus and go to Bergamo. We can spend a few days there,” Elio said. 

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said. “Would you like that?” He asked me softly.

“I’d love that,” I said.

“Good,” Elio said kissing me softly. “We can go and spend a few days,” he said running husnhands down my chest. “Stay in a room and fuck all night and buy all the postcards we see and then Bergamo will be ours. All ours,” he said as he deepened his kiss.

I felt my heart flutter. Anyone could have seen me as jealous or possessive or simply stupid, childish or idiotic and maybe I was all those things when it came to Elio. But, in the center of it all though, was pure and honest love. He knew this, as did I. He was able to see it all and focus on the love. That’s what made us special. He knew me and I knew him and we trusted our love.

I wrapped my arms around him and kept kissing him, relishing and enjoying our love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little side note: I pictured the guest student as actress Shay Mitchell if you want a visual of Shannon.


	7. Only Once

Shannon proved a great addition to the villa. She was smart and funny and the absolute comfort with which she blended in was great. She was fluent in Italian which shocked Elio and I when we walked in and found her laughing and cooking with Mafalda on the day after her arrival. Cooking. Elio looked like he could have fallen over dead twice. 

“How did you learn Italian?” I asked during breakfast as my sweet Elio pealed my egg and handed it to me.

“I was always interested in languages. My mother is from the Philippines and my father is Caucasian. So I learned Tagalog at home growing up. My best friend in elementary school was Italian. So I learned some Italian here and there by just spending so much time with her and her family. When I was ten I made my mother buy me that Rosetta Stone course and I learned to speak Italian,” she said with a huge smile on her face. Elio and I were impressed. She also spoke French and Greek. She said it helped in her History studies to speak so many languages.

“She’s so smart,” Elio said. I agreed. Later that day. We invited her to join us by the pool. She told us about her Thesis when I asked about it.

“While the Revolution presented women unprecedented opportunities to participate in protest movements and manage their family's farms and businesses, it ultimately did not offer lasting political change, excluding women from the right to vote and serve in office,” Shannon said as she sunbathed between us.

Elio and I grinned at each other and we lazied the afternoon away talking about women’s rights which led to us talking about LGBTQ rights. It was a good afternoon chat indeed.

 

* * *

 

Dinner had been great and once it was dark Elio said we should go for a night swim at the lake nearby. We did as he suggested. I brought along my Bluetooth speaker and after we had swam around a while we laid in towels and sung along to the music playing. It turned out Shannon sang really well. She surprised us when she said one of her favorite song was Blue by LeAnn Rimes.

She got up and told us we should dance to it. She was between us and had each of us by one hand. She sung and we laughed as we swayed around. Somehow, by the middle of the song, she had joined mine and Elio’s hands together and we were swaying to the song. She was swaying by herself as she sang, her long black hair swinging back and forth. We played the song four of five times, Elio and I dancing along and singing it as well by the last time we heard it. We laughed and gathered our things and rode back to the villa in our bikes.

 

* * *

 

The Monday after Shannon’s arrival she got to work on her Thesis. After breakfast Elio played the piano for us. I laid on the loveseat and Shannon was in an armchair writing things out.

At lunch, Annella and the Professor had the same loud couple that had come a couple of weeks ago and they were talking, talking talking, except Shannon, who was seated between them, joined in and was talking just as loudly and enthusiastically as them.

I felt Elio’s foot caress mine again. I again caressed his arch with my toes. We glanced at one another and I loved the intensity in his gaze. He bit his bottom lip and I knew, I felt what he wanted.

“More apricot juice?” He asked me.

“Yes, please,” I said.

“Let’s go get you some apricot juice,” he said and got up, running his hand over my shoulders as he walked past me. My eyes followed him as he walked into the house. I looked around the lunch table and although everyone glanced up, it didn’t really slow down the conversation.

I tapped my foot, wiped my mouth and counted to 10 and got up saying a hasty, “Excuse me,” and with a couple of quick strides walked into the house as well.

I thought maybe Elio had gone upstairs, but as I walked past the hallway that led away from the kitchen I heard Elio call my name.

“Oliver!” I looked and there he was. He grinned. I realized we were going to his little hideaway in the attic.

Mafalda had her back to us and I took off down the hallway and we ran up the stairs. We were laughing and he was going as quick as he could. I tried to reach and grab him but he was just a bit too quick.

Finally we made it made it to the top of the stairs and I grabbed him from behind. He laughed loudly as turned him and threw him over my shoulder. I slid him down and kissed him once we got to the mattress. I took his shirt off and pulled him to me. I was panting already. “You look so grown up,” I said without thinking.

He furrowed his brow slightly and grinned, laughing through his nose. “Do I?” He asked.

My heart was pounding. “Yes,” I said. “More manly. So sexy,” I pulled him to me again and kissed him hungrily. It was true. Elio’s softness was fading away and he was becoming more solid. Defined. Manly. It was intoxicating. His youthful beauty was giving way to manly sexiness and it was driving me crazy.

“It’s to be expected no?” He asked as he pulled my shirt off. I nodded. He kicked his flip flops off and walked back onto the mattress. He started undoing his shorts and pulled them down with his boxers. He now stood naked in front of me. I loved how he bit his bottom lip. He was half hard already. I walked to him and kissed him, reaching down and softly stroking him. He moaned and leaned into me. I got down on my knees and took him in my mouth.

I caressed his body as I pleased him. He had his legs spread apart and had a strong grip on my shoulders. He reached up and grabbed my hair. “Fuck yes,” he was moaning. I loved his moans. I reached around behind him and squeezed his ass, pushing him into my mouth. I closed my eyes and focused on nothing else but pleasing him.

I slid him in and out of my mouth, pressing my lips against him. I pulled him out and sucked his head and swirled my tongue around him. I slid him in again and pressed my whole tongue against him as I sucked earnestly. His moans became whimpers as I felt his body tense. I slid him in deeper and sucked harder and moments later he came. I gladly swallowed all he gave me.

I felt his knees get weak and I supported him as he laid back on the mattress. He laid spread eagle for a moment, panting. His body covered by a layer of sweat which made him look more heavenly than earthly in the dim light of the attic. I glanced around the room and wondered in all the years this villa had existed, how many lovers had come up here to have their own moment, just as Elio and I were having ours right now.

“Oliver,” Elio said. I looked back to him.

“Yes, baby?” I asked him. I watched as he reached over to a small table by the mattress. It had books and an old AM/FM radio. He rummaged around and grabbed a bottle of lube.

“Oh!” I said. “You were prepared?” I asked.

He grinned. “Well, last time was wonderful but I figured it wouldn’t be the last time we snuck up here,” he said. “There’s a towel there,” he pointed to the chair.

I got up and grabbed the towel and knelt down between his legs. I lifted his left leg and kissed the inside of his ankle. I kissed around over the top of his foot down to his toes. “These feet of yours,” I said as I kept kissing and he giggled. “They are really looking for trouble under the lunch table aren’t they?” I asked as I laid his left foot on my right shoulder. I caressed his shin to his knee. 

“Trouble?” He asked. I nodded. “Is this trouble?” He asked motioning around the room. I grinned and nodded. “Oh then yes, Oliver, my feet were looking for trouble,” he said laughing.

I started tickling him and he tried to get away but couldn’t. I wasn’t exactly sure who kissed who first, but the tickling led to kissing and and soon enough my shorts and boxers were off too. I was hard by then and I looked down at him as he stroked the lube on me. I loved how his cheeks were flushed and his lips dark pink. I leaned down and sucked his bottom lip.

“God your lips,” I said. He laughed and kissed me and I entered him and time stood still. I started thrusting in and out but I felt as if the wind stopped outside and the dust stopped dancing in the rays of sun coming in through the shutters and the world went still and quiet and all that existed was Elio, me and this mattress. Me thrusting in and out of him and pouring all the love I had and felt and had been feeling for a year into this moment. Into him, with every thrust and every kiss and every moan and lick and bite. 

“Fuck yes,” I heard him say and it made me want to give him more of me. It felt intense and I was so hard. I wanted him to feel the intensity with which I was loving him with. “Oliver,” he said moaning. “Oliver,” he panted and I wrapped my arms under and around him and I closed my eyes and held him tight as I thrusted in him with all the love I had in my soul.

“God, Elio. I love you,” I moaned. There was no mistaking the emotion in my voice. “I love you. I love you so much.”

“I love you, Oliver,” he answered me as he wrapped his arms around my neck tightly. “I love you so much. I love you so much it hurts,” he said softly as he panted.

We panted and moaned and called out each other’s names and pledged our love to one another. We meant it. This wasn’t a heat of the moment I love you. This was genuine and real and we were over taken by the emotions flowing out of us. I had never felt more connected to him and I knew he had never felt more connected to me. In this moment we were one. One mind. One heart. One body. One soul. We knew how lucky we were. We weren’t taking this for granted. We knew this kind of love was rare and honest and pure and we knew we deserved it. We had shared so much this past year, but it felt a bit different this afternoon. We connected even more deeply than ever before. We gave it all, he and I, and we knew, this type of love this was given only once.


	8. Perhaps Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Perhaps Love” as in the John Denver song that was the absolute inspiration for all the feels in this chapter!  
> Picking up right after the wonderful moment Elio and Oliver have spent in the attic...  
> Enjoy!  
> <3

I had been holding Elio in my arms, mind foggy and breath ragged and in pants and reeling in the post orgasmic bliss of our love making that I didn’t realize he was crying. 

We had made love for a while, I had climaxed but he told me, to please stay in him and we kept kissing and he had wrapped his legs around me, pushing me into him, keeping me in and I had become hard again in no time. I made love to him once more, and stroked him till he came and then came in him a second time.

Now, we were laying there, me panting and shaking, when I heard him sniffling. I looked down, scared. “Elio! What’s wrong baby?” He shook his head and buried his face in my neck. “Baby did I hurt you? Did I? Elio -“

“No, no,” he said softly and kissed my neck tenderly. He kissed down and caressed me. “No, I...” he wiped his face and I looked down at him. I gently slid out of him and got the towel we had. I cleaned him and myself up. He sat up. I followed suit and sat in front of him on the mattress.

His eyes were still red and a little puffy. I pulled him into my arms. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“It’s ok,” I said gently. I took his face in my hands and kissed the tears off his face. “It’s ok,” I repeated.

He hugged me tightly. I felt his fingertips digging into my back. “I just... I don’t want us to go,” he said softly. I furrowed my brow and held him. I gave him a moment to let it out. “It’s so peaceful here,” he said laughing. “It’s so quiet. All that matters is our love and I’m suddenly sad that this tranquility and happiness has to end at the end of summer,” he said. 

“But it doesn’t have to,” I said. “When we go back, we’ll always have Crema and the villa and this beautiful summer,” I said gently. I, like him, didn’t want to leave either, but I needed to make my baby feel better. He was still holding me tightly so I didn’t move. “We still have several weeks and we can always come back baby,” I said. “Also,” I whispered. “Our love can make any place magical and peaceful,” I said tenderly. 

I heard him let out a deep, shaky sigh and felt him nod his head. “Yes. Of course it can. Sorry,” he said again.

“You better never apologize for being you; Elio,” I said. “I felt it all too baby, and you’re just as in love with me as I am with you,” I said gently. We pulled apart and kissed for a good long while.

 

* * *

 

“So don’t think your little disappearing stunt went unnoticed at lunch!” Shannon said with mock indignation in her voice. We had all gone for a walk before dinner. Elio and I had spent several hours in the attic and had finally descended and showered. We had told Shannon if we were ever showering that she was free to walk through our room in and out of hers. After our shower we got dressed and Elio had knocked on her door and asked what she was doing. She had said nothing and we all decided to go for a walk before dinner. The sun wasn’t as hot. 

Elio was already rosy in the cheeks from the heat but he blushed a little more. He grinned and looked at the ground. I loved how innocent he still was. I was by no means anyone to just freely and loudly discuss details of our sex life, but Shannon was an adult and I wasn’t shy about her knowing we had sneaked away to have sex at lunch. Elio though, was still shy about moments like this and I found it so endearing. 

I wrapped my arm around his waist. “Couldn’t help it,” I said. “But you were having a good time with the lunch guests,” I said.

“Oh my god they’re fabulous! Loud and lively and so opinionated! Ha! I loved them,” Shannon said giving out such a hearty laugh that Elio and I couldn’t help but laugh as well. She lifted up her sunglasses and looked around. “Elio, I wonder if you truly know how lucky you are growing up in a place this gorgeous,” Shannon said in a soft whisper. I smiled. I knew how she felt. 

“I do know,” he said. “I’m also aware of how amazing my parents are,” he said glancing up at me. Shannon understood it.

“Are your parents not ok with you being gay?” She asked me.

“It was difficult with my mother,” I said. “But I think she’s turned a new page,” I said.

“Oh good,” she said nodded. “I wished people would just... let others be,” she said to us with a smile. “My parents raised me to just let others be.”

We walked in a comfortable silence. I looked around. My soul was so at peace here that nothing bothered me. I felt happiness, contentment and peacefulness. I squeezed Elio’s waist and kissed the side of his head. Wereached the Villa as Mafalda and Annella set the table for dinner. Shannon walked over and started talking my Mafalda. Elio and I looked at each other and smiled. Mafalda was extremely friendly with Shannon and we loved it.

 

After dinner we all went inside and Elio got on the piano. The Professor, Annella, Shannon and I gathered around the piano as Elio played and the Professor was making request. We all sang along with the songs we knew. Shannon then asked if Elio could play Perhaps Love by John Denver. He nodded and as he played she started singing. It was lovely. I gazed at Elio as I listened to Shannon sing. I couldn’t help but be touched by it. 

“Perhaps love is like a resting place, a shelter from the storm. It exists to give you comfort, it is there to keep you warm. And in those times of trouble when you are most alone, the memory of love will bring you home. Perhaps love is like a window, perhaps an open door. It invites you to come closer, it wants to show you more. And even if you lose yourself and don't know what to do, the memory of love will see you through. Oh, love to some is like a cloud, to some as strong as steel, for some a way of living, for some a way to feel. And some say love is holding on and some say letting go. And some say love is everything and some say they don't know...”

I looked at Elio and couldn’t help but feel warm inside. He was so perfect and so was this song. I couldn’t help it and reached out and caressed his face. He looked up at me and smiled as he kept playing. He was so sweet and perfect. Shannon kept singing.

“And some say love is holding on and some say letting go, and some say love is everything and some say they don't know. Perhaps love is like the ocean, full of conflict, full of pain, like a fire when it's cold outside or thunder when it rains. If I should live forever and all my dreams come true, my memories of love will be of you.”

The Professor, Annella and I clapped when it was over. I couldn’t even name or describe all I was feeling. I knew it was a bit overwhelming. I couldn’t take my eyes off Elio and he noticed. He kept looking at me and smiling.

When it was time to go to bed I grabbed Elio’s hand. “Let’s go sit outside a moment,” I said. He nodded. 

We walked out as I held his hand. We walked to the pool and sat on the edge and dipped our feet in it. 

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment. “What is it?” Elio asked me softly.

I looked at him and smiled. “Just when this place couldn’t get more magical I hear a song like that and feel even more in love with you,” I said.

Elio leaned against me and kissed my shoulder. I took a deep breath in and out. We held hands and stayed out there for a while, enjoying the beauty around us and basking in the peacefulness and beauty of our love.

“I’m sorry I cried earlier, I didn’t mean to scare you or worry you,” he whispered, as if he didn’t want to disturb the night.

I looked down at him. His perfectly beautiful face leaning against my shoulder. “It’s ok baby, I felt the intensity too,” I said giving him a gentle smile.

“You didn’t cry though,” he said. 

I held his right hand between my palms. “I’m not much of a cryer,” I said chuckling. I looked over at him again. “But it’s beautiful that you are. You...” I trailed off. He sat up and I shifted my body so I was facing him better. “You can see all your emotions in your face as you’re feeling them. It’s beautiful to watch,” I whispered to him with a smile.

“Oh,” he said with a sweet open mouth laugh.

I reached up and caressed his face. I was overcome with love right at that moment. “I can’t believe you’re mine,” I said. He closed his eyes and leaned into my palm and I felt his cheek warm as he blushed. “You cannot be more beautiful and I can’t be more in love,” I said. He bit his bottom lip a little and shyly looked at me. He was at a loss for words. Good. That’s how I needed to love this beautiful soul in front of me, with all of me and leave him speechless. That’s how I knew I was loving him right. “Elio,” I said.

“Yeah?” He asked me. He placed his soft hand on top of mine and looked up at me.

“If I should live forever and all my dreams come true, my memories of love will be of you.” 

He blushed and became speechless again and I felt like the most accomplished boyfriend in the universe.


	9. We’re Sick, Aren’t We?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So... I hope none of you forgot about the peach... cause I didn’t!  
> Enjoy!  
> <3

The days in the following week were a soft, warm haze. We would awake, enjoy breakfast and then move inside where Elio would play piano while I daydreamed about my future with him and Shannon would write. I loved that she wrote by hand. She said she would then type it up in her laptop later but she liked writing it out by hand first. 

We would then swim and spend time with Annella or the Professor and sometimes Shannon would sneak into the kitchen and cook with Mafalda. This proved to be handy as she would always leave us snacks and treats on our bed as she took snacks to her room too. We would then have lunch. We would lounge or swim and then nap. But sometimes Elio and I would go to the attic and loose ourselves in our bodies. 

If the others in the villa knew what he and I were doing up there, they didn’t make it known to Elio and I, and apart from that one comment Shannon had made that first day that we had snuck upstairs, she never made any more. Elio and I usually then showered and took a walk with Shannon and then dinner came and the evenings were spent watching tv or reading or just talking. Elio would read Pride & Prejudice to me or Shannon and I or all of us sometimes. It was a dream come true.

 

Saturday came and I had been in Crema for three weeks and Shannon for one. Only a week yet we felt as if we had known her for ages. I could almost close my eyes and picture her laughing with Chris or Courtney or walking with us at Stearn’s Wharf. Elio and I had been Skyping our friends as much as we could but everyone understood we were busy enjoying Crema. I texted or talked to my father almost daily. I had texted my mother a few times and that morning, on Elio’s suggestion I give her a call. She sounded happy to hear from me and she then spoke to Elio. It was a good conversation and I was glad I had called. 

That morning after breakfast, Elio, Shannon and I had helped Annella pick more fruit. We went into the kitchen and Shannon and Mafalda made us polpo. This was all followed by a lovely lunch and after a quick swim Elio and I made our way to the attic. As I passed the kitchen I grabbed several peaches and a paring knife and Elio grabbed a couple of water bottles. We went upstairs in our damp trunks and our towels around our necks.

Elio and I had boxers and shorts in the attic and had taken some flat sheets for the mattress was well. Elio was on his phone and I knew he was on poemhunter.com. It was a site he frequented and would recite poems to me. Today was no different.

“Ha ha, here we go,” he said. He gave me an amused look as I took a bite of a peach. He started reading. “The ripest peach is highest on the tree -- And so her love, beyond the reach of me, is dearest in my sight. Sweet breezes, bow her heart down to me where I worship now! She looms aloft where every eye may see. The ripest peach is highest on the tree. Such fruitage as her love I know, alas!I may not reach here from the orchard grass. I drink the sunshine showered past her lips, as roses drain the dewdrop as it drips. The ripest peach is highest on the tree, and so mine eyes gaze upward eagerly. Why -- why do I not turn away in wrath and pluck some heart here hanging in my path? -- Love's lower boughs bend with them -- but, ah me!The ripest peach is highest on the tree!”

I laughed. “Who wrote that?” I asked.

“James Whitcomb Riley,” he answered me.

“Bravo,” I said. He reached for my wrist and pulled it to him and took a bite of the peach I had. I smiled and took another bite myself.

“Delicious,” Elio said.

“But not as delicious as you,” I said softly, because it was true. We leaned in and kissed and ate the delicious fruit together. Once we had finished that one, I grabbed another. I ran my thumb over it. “It’s as soft as you,” I said smiling.

“What? The peach?” He asked laughing. 

“Yes touch it,” I said handing it to him. 

He laughed and took it in his hand. He rubbed it with his thumb. “Hmm pretty soft,” he said with a grin, handing it back to me. He laid on his back, on the mattress, hands behind his head. I grabbed a paring knife I had brought up and started cutting a second peach in slices. I took a slice and put it to Elio’s lips. He smiled sweetly and took a bite, his lips gracing my finger tips as he did so. I popped the second half of the slice in my mouth and leaned down and kissed him. 

He laughed and ran his hand up the back of my head and into my hair. Our kiss deepened. I sat up and grabbed another peach slice. I licked my lips as I placed the peach on his chin and pushed it gently into his skin as I dragged it down his neck. He laughed. “What are you doing?” 

“What I want to do,” I said. 

“Which is...?” He asked amused.

“Shh,” I said as I rubbed it across his collar bone. Once it had become a mess on him I leaned down and licked him clean as best I could. He was still sticky and sweet and smelled amazing but that’s what I had wanted. “I love the smell of peach,” I said before I kissed him deeply, my tongue sliding into his mouth.

Once we had parted he looked up at me panting and smiling, lips rosy from having just been kissed. I knelt between his legs and took off his swimming trunks. I grabbed another peach slice and rubbed it over his chest, circling his nipples with it. He gasped and I think he was surprised at how good it felt. I then leaned down and licked him clean again. I made sure I ran my tongue over every area I had run the peach. I did this for a while, working my way down, I’d run the soft, juicy fruit on his skin and then lick it up. I was having a lot of fun and the sounds he was making were so incredibly sexy. 

He was hard and I had one slice left. I saw his head glistening. I grabbed the last slice of the fruit and rubbed it on his head. He jumped a little, startled. “Oliver, what are you -“

“Shh,” I said again, holding him in place with a hand to his hip. I gently applied pressure to the tip of his erection. I heard a slight moan. 

“Fuck,” he said. I took the piece of fruit and ate it. 

His eyes widened. “Did you just eat it?” He asked. I nodded as I chewed and swallowed. I saw him blush and I loved it.

I smiled at him. “You realized I’ve swallowed your -“ 

“Yes! Yes I know,” he said looking away and blushing even more. I laughed. I leaned down and kissed him. “Do you know how sexy it is when you blush when we talk about sex?” I said to him as I leaned down over him. He lifted his hips and rubbed his erection on my body. 

“Is it?” He asked in a soft voice. I looked into his eyes and he suddenly didn’t look like an innocent sweet boy anymore. No, he looked like a young man who wasn’t shy about what his body wanted and needed sexually at all. He wrapped his legs around me and thrusted up into my abdomen. I kissed and licked his neck. The taste and smell of the peach along with his taste and smell was intoxicating to me. I found it to be a real turn on.

A crazy thought came to me. I reached over and grabbed the last peach. I pushed my finger into it, tearing it as I took the pits out. “What are you doing?” Elio asked laughing.

“Why do you keep questioning me?” I asked with mock indignation.

Elio laughed. “I feel like you’re treating me like a dessert right now! Rubbing the peaches all over me!” 

I laughed as I worked my fingers into the peach, juice spilling down my arms. I grabbed a towel and wiped it off. I looked down at the peach and down at Elio’s body. I started stroking him. He lifted his hips up off the mattress moaning. I leaned down and sucked him. I loved how he moaned and thrusted his hips up. He was tensing and getting close. I sat up, kneeling between his legs, stroking him. His eyes were closed as he moaned. I took the peach and slid it onto his erection.

Again, he gasped and jumped, startled by the feeling. “Oliver!” He said staring at me. “What the fuck!” He said panting. He grabbed my wrist and moaned as I twisted the fruit around his head. His mouth stayed opened and eyes shut as stroked him with my other hand. The juice of the peach running down his shaft. He was so sexy. I was so turned on. He tensed suddenly and sat up slightly as he came. “Holy fuck!” He said. I pulled the fruit off him. “Fuck sakes. Fuck me. Fuck. Fuck.” He looked up at me. “Fuck what did you... did you just fuck me with a peach?” He asked.

“Yeah. Yeah I just fucked you with a peach,” I said holding it up. I leaned down and sucked gently on his softening cock. He writhed under me, moaning. I knew he was sensitive but I wanted to clean him. Once I was done I sat up and looked at the fruit. There was a small trail of his release around the edge of the fruit’s opening. I licked it up. “Mmmm,” I said.

“Oliver, stop,” he said, huge smile on his face.

“No,” I said shaking my head. 

He laughed. God I loved his laugh. “Put it down or throw it away. You can’t eat that!” He said as he laughed. If he meant what he was saying he sure wasn’t sounding like it. 

“Why?” I asked. “Cause it’s been on your cock! In case you forgot, my mouth has been on your cock SO many times Elio!” I said. He laughed again. I took a bite.

“Holy fuck,” he said sitting up. He got up on his knees and climbed on me. He was sticky. He smelled so good. And the peach, smelling of his released smelled just as good. “You’re fucking eating it,” he said. I nodded and took another bite and he kissed me. Hard. I swallowed it. He licked my lips. 

“You like that I’m eating it?” I asked.

He nodded and blushed. “I’m sick aren’t I?” He asked. 

I shook my head as I took another bite, more of his release caressed my tongue. “We’re both sick then,” I said. 

He grinned. “I wish everyone was as sick as us then,” he said. I threw the last bit in my mouth. He watched me in amazement. I swallowed it. “Fuck me,” he said breathlessly. I loved how he was looking at me.

“I was planning on it,” I said. I reached and grabbed the lube. “Get on your hands and knees, baby,” I said as I rubbed the lube on me. He obliged and I gazed at his perfectly beautiful body. I took my slicked up hand and slid it between his ass cheeks, my middle finger circling his entrance. He pushed his hips back into my hand with a moan. “You’ve been so good,” I said. He nodded. “Tell me what you want,” I whispered to him.

“You. In me. Fuck me. Please,” he said, with the most beautiful hint of desperation in his voice that drove me insane. 

I quickly thrusted into him and grabbed hold of his hips as I pounded into him. I was so turned on. I needed to fuck him. Elio did so much to me. “God you drive me inside,” I told him. “You really drive me insane!” I said as I fucked him hard. I gazed down and watched as my erection slid in and out of him. I loved the feel of his soft skin against my thighs and groin. The warm tightness of his body around my erection felt better and better with each time we fucked. “So good. You feel so good,” I said. I went as hard as I could and quickly came in him. Deep, deep inside him. We laid there panting. I didn’t want to come out. I wanted to stay in him forever. Forever. It wasn’t long after that we drifted into a peaceful sleep.


	10. Come Love Me Again

The following Sunday, Elio and I were in our room, he was reading Pride & Prejudice to me. He stopped and put the book down and looked at me.

“Yes baby?” I asked.

“I want to take you to my spot,” he said.

“Ok, when?” I asked.

“Tomorrow. But really early, like I want us to watch the sunrise there,” he said.

I smiled and nodded and thought that would be a wonderful idea. At dinner Elio had told his father what he wanted to do. The Professor said he would drive us out there, and he would drop us and our bikes off because he didn’t want us riding our bikes for that long of a distance in the dark. We said ok.

 

The following morning, we woke early and it was a bit thought waking so early, but I could tell that Elio was so excited. It meant so much to him and that was all I needed for it to mean just as much to me. He had packed his back pack, I wasn’t sure with what, but we each put on sweaters and shorts and he gave me a couple of thick blankets.

“The grass will be wet with dew, so I wanna be prepared,” he said. I had nodded.

Off we went. It was dark outside and I couldn’t see anything but I didn’t care. Once we got to where the path started that led down to the berm, we got out and got our bikes off the bike rack on the car. The professor told us to call him when we were going to begin the ride home.

He took off and we walked down the path. Elio, using his phone as a flash light. We dropped our bikes off and then walked to his spot and I helped him with the blanket. In the moonlight I saw him take off his shoes, and so I did as well and felt the grass wasn’t that wet at all. I was about to comment on this when I saw Elio take his shirt off and undo his denim shorts.

“I want to make love you. Here. Now.”

I stared at him in amazement. My heart thumped in my chest. I nodded and quickly took off my sweater and top together and slid my shorts off. I got on the blanket, on my hands and knees and slid off my boxers. I saw Elio throw his shorts and boxers on mine. I felt him settle between my legs and lean on me and kiss my back.

“I love you. I’ve been wanting this since the day we came. I wanted to make love to you here. Whenever we come back and come back here to my spot I want to remember the moment I had you. The moment I was inside of you. Here,” he whispered. I loved his voice. I could hear the want and the desire and it was so sexy.

His soft hands caressed my back. His touch was always gentle and soft. I thought about the times he had spanked me and grinned. I wouldn’t ask for it right now because this was his moment and I wanted him to have it be as he wanted it to be. He murmured to me, and kissed all over my skin. I felt his hands slide down the back of my thighs and I moaned in pleasure. His touch gave me goosebumps.

“I love you so much,” he said.

“I love you too,” I replied.

I felt his lips on my back once more and then I felt him enter me slowly. I loved how he moaned. “Oh you feel so good,” he said softly. I laid down on my stomach and felt him lay in top of me. He laced his fingers in mine and I felt his cheek on my shoulder blade, his breath warm and moist on my skin. He had put the other blanket on top of us.

He was soft, tender and gentle. Elio was never an overly aggressive or inconsiderate lover, but he was specially tender this morning and it was wonderful to feel. His moans were soft and slow. I loved how gentle he was being and I loved how he was enjoying all he was feeling. Neither he nor I were taking anything for granted about this magical and beautiful moment.

He gripped my hands and I listening to him intently now. His oooh’s lasted the whole time he would slide in me and he would gasp as he slid out. Heaven. I was in heaven. “Oliver,” he whispered softly.

“Yes, my love?” I asked between pants.

“Oliver, I love you. I want you. I need you so much,” he whispered softly.

“I’m all yours baby,” I answered him. “I’m all yours.”

He kissed my back and continued making love to me. “Don’t come. Not yet. Not yet,” he said and I told him I wouldn’t. He continued for a while. It felt amazing. I felt loved and taken care of. I felt his body tensing on top of mine. I lifted my hips slightly to grant him deeper access. He took it and came as deep inside of me as he could.

I moaned in satisfaction. After a moment I felt him slide out and I missed him inside of me. “No,” I said softly

“What’s wrong?” He asked and I felt him push on my arm so I would turn over. I did.

“Just wanted you to stay inside of me,” I said. 

“Oh,” he said laughing gently. He laid on me and kissed me deeply. He worked his way down my body and took me in his mouth. I gasped as his mouth engulfed me.

It was then I noticed the first rays of sunlight. I had seen plenty of sunrises. Many beautiful ones. Elio and I had caught some on the beach and I could have easily argued nothing compared to a sunrise off the coast of Santa Barbara. That was until that morning. I felt Elio moan as he sucked me earnestly. I closed my eyes and came as I felt the rays of golden sunshine on my face.

I laid there panting, overcome by how good it had felt. The slow buildup of Elio’s lovemaking and then his wonderful mouth bringing me to orgasm. I felt his lips on mine as I was still panting. I wrapped my arms around him. I opened my eyes and looked up, the soft sunlight shining behind him. “You look like an angel,” I said. I had said this to him many times but it had never been so true as it was now. He chuckled softly and leaned down and kissed me again.

After a moment we dressed and laid on top of both of our blankets. The sun had fully risen by now. The sky was perfectly clear, hardly a cloud floating by. He reached for his phone. “I know another John Denver song I like,” he said. “It’s perfect for right now,” he said.

“Let’s hear it,” I whispered. 

He laid on my shoulder and put the phone on my stomach. I listed to the soft music and lazily watched the random fluffy cloud drift by.

“You fill up my senses like a night in a forest, like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain. Like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean. You fill up my senses, come fill me again.”

I turned on my side and pulled Elio to me. I looked into his eyes and caressed his cheek. The beautiful song kept playing.

“Come let me love you, let me give my life to you. Let me drown in your laughter, let me die in your arms. Let me lay down beside you, let me always be with you. Come let me love you, come love me again.”

I held his face in my hands and looked into his eyes as the song played. It was perfect. It was beautiful. It said all I had ever wanted to say. Again, I felt overwhelmed by all I felt. Elio’s lips were parted and he was panting. “I love you just as much,” I whispered to him. “You know that right?” He nodded. He was speechless yet again. My heart soared. I played the song again and looked into his eyes as it played one more time. I couldn’t help but whisper the words at the end to him. They were so perfect.

“Let me lay down beside you, let me always be with you. Come let me love you, come love me again.”

I leaned in and kissed him and held him tight. He held me just as tightly. We laid there for a long while. I suddenly heard his stomach grumble. I chuckled. “Time to call your dad,” I said.

He laughed and did so as I gathered the blankets. He had some snacks in his back pack. “I figured we may work up an appetite,” he said with an adorable smile. I laughed and took a drink of the water bottle he had handed me. We put our shoes on and walked to our bikes. We walked down the path towards the road. “Oliver,” He said. I looked at him. “Thank you.”

“For what?” I asked. Before he could answer I continued. “For loving you? For being here? For this perfect morning?” He blushed. “No Elio. No. Thank you for coming into my life and letting me love you.”

I leaned in and kissed him. We got on our bikes and started making our way home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this chapter was “Annie’s Song” by John Denver.  
> Hope you enjoyed!!  
> <3


	11. Kissed and Touched

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies!!  
> I just truly want to thank each and every single one of you that has been enjoying this part of my series with me... there truly is not much of story development here, our boys are in an established relationship and so I see this part as a celebration of their love in the most perfect of places and I’m just happy that I get to share this with all of you!!
> 
> So I hope you keep enjoying this along with me.. this chapter is for you, redtulipslove! So I hope you enjoy it!!!!! And trashfortimmy, I hope this provides another fluffy death =P  
> Thank you all again!!!! <3
> 
> This chapter starts right after their wonderful morning at Elio’s spot...  
> ENJOY!!  
> <3

We rode home and enjoyed a late breakfast thanks to Mafalda being worried that we would starve to death before lunch time. We went inside and Elio and I went up to lay in bed since we were slightly sleepy. We undressed down to our boxers and crept under the covers. 

I pulled Elio to me and held him close. I could not be more in love. I looked out the window at the midmorning sun. I thought of myself in the weeks and months before Elio’s arrival and I could have never imagined the incredible twists and turns my life had taken since the day he came into my life. 

“Mmmmm,” Elio said softly. 

“Tell me a poem my sweet angel,” I whispered to him. I had asked him this several times before and he never ceased to amaze me. He was a real angel. 

I heard him chuckle softly. He took a deep breath in. “He touched me, so I live to know that such a day, permitted so, I groped upon his breast,” he said as he tugged at my chest hair. I grinned. “It was a boundless place to me, and silenced, as the awful sea puts minor streams to rest. And now, I’m different from before, as if I breathed superior air, or brushed a royal gown; my feet, too, that had wandered so, my gypsy face transfigured now to tenderer renown.”

“Beautiful. I don’t know it,” I said.

”Emily Dickinson,” He replied.

“Ah, ok,” I said as I looked down at him and kissed his lovely lips. I caressed his face. “I love you,” I said.

“I love you,” He replied.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the day was again a sweet, warm haze. It was the warmest day so far and after dinner we all decided to retire to the coolness of our rooms instead of congregating as a group in the living room.

Elio and I laid in bed, naked and sweaty. Our window was open and a lazy breeze was coming in. We were holding hands and whispering to each other while listening to music. We had been doing this a while when Elio sat up in bed and asked me if I wanted to go for a swim.

“Now?” I asked. I looked at his phone and saw it was 11:27 pm.

“Yeah, why not?” He asked me with a smile. I just grinned. He knew I wouldn’t say no to anything he wanted to do. We got up and put on our swimming trunks. He grabbed his back pack, after he had thrown some towels in it and off we went.

The bike ride to the lake wasn’t a long one. We reached it and I looked around the trees with their hanging leaves and branches. It was a beautiful spot, both in the day and night. The water now looked black and so so deep. We got off our bikes and took off our shirts.

Elio reached for my hand and I took his. We waded into the water together. We let go and swam out into the deeper part. I swam out a bit and then floated on my back. I looked up at the black sky and twinkling stars. I heard Elio splashing as he swam around. “Oliver!” He called out. 

“Elio!” I replied.

“Oh! It was hard to see you!” He said. I started swimming towards him. When I reached him, I could touch the ground, the water was up to my neck. I took hold of him. We kissed. It was peaceful and quiet. Just the noises of the Italian country side at night playing around us. 

“So good,” he said. 

“Yeah it is,” I replied. I walked out a bit till the water was right off my shoulders. Elio leaned back and floated on his back. I looked at him. His hair looked jet black since it was wet and it was night time. He had his eyes closed and I was taken aback by how beautiful he looked. His face looked angular. Sharp cheekbones and strong jaw. He was gorgeous. I went and kissed him on the mouth.

He laughed and I grabbed hold of him again. He pulled himself, onto me, and I felt him climbing me. I loved it. I wrapped my arms around him. It felt wonderful. 

“So how did you enjoy this morning?” He asked me softly.

“It was beautiful and wonderful and perfect,” I said. “And indeed whenever we return I will think of earlier this morning and the sunrise,” I said.

“Good,” he replied softly, looking into my eyes. “So I figured we could make another memory here,” he said in a gorgeous voice.

“Yeah?” I asked. He made me feel so much. Here, right now, wet and in the moonlight, I would give him anything and everything he asked for. I would go to the ends of the earth for him, to make him happy and keep him happy. “And what memory would you like to make here my love?” I asked him, kissing him gently. 

He kissed me back and wrapped his arms around my neck. It felt so good. We continued kissing as we slowly, slowly made our way to shore. We took our time. Once we were in waist deep water, I stopped and brushed Elio’s damp hair back, away from his face and looked at him. “What?” He asked me smiling.

“Just admiring you,” I said. “I hope it doesn’t bother you because I’m going to be doing it for the rest of our lives.” I said this without thinking because I meant it. I truly did. I had just never come out and just said it though.

“The rest of our lives,” he said softly.

I nodded. There was no point in me trying to hide or try to lessen how much I loved him. “Yeah,” I said. “I hope that’s not too much,” I whispered.

“No,” he said. He wrapped his arms around me and I too held him.

“I’m not saying you know, that you’re to not live your life and enjoy it,” I said softly. “I just want to be with you and enjoy it beside you,” I said.

“I want that too,” he replied.

I kissed his head and held him close. A couple of months ago I would have said that he didn’t have to be tied to me and he was still young and whatever else I had been saying. He was young yes, and I wanted him to live a life he loved, yes. I’m not sure what had happened to me or what had flipped a switch in my head. Maybe it was this place. Maybe it was him suddenly looking so much more like a man than a boy. Maybe it was just me waking up and truly being honest with myself and knowing I didn’t want to spend any day of my life without knowing he was mine and I was his.

We stood there holding each other for a while longer. “Is it a little scary?” I asked him.

“What?” He asked me.

“Talking about the rest of your life with just... me?” I asked.

“No,” he said softly. “Quite the opposite. It feels wonderful and safe.”

I felt warmth spread all across my chest. It felt good. It made me happy. “Good,” I said.

We pulled back and looked at one another and started kissing again. We waded out of the water and went for our towels. I dried his hair and shoulder and chest. “I’d dry yours too but I can’t reach,” he said. We laughed and I dried my hair. 

He stepped to me and started kissing me harder than we had in the water. His hands were all over me. “Make love to me,” he said.

I nodded. We took our beach towels and put them on the soft grass. He slipped his swimming trunks off and sat down on the towel. I went to his backpack and got the lube. I went back to the towels and removed my swimming trunks. I knelt down in front of him. I laid on top of him and kissed him. I slid my right arm under his left knee. I looked down at his gorgeous face and kissed him slowly and gently. 

After kissing him a while I slid into him slowly. He wrapped his arms around my neck and I gently started making love to him. It’s what he has asked for and I thought about how gentle he had been with me this morning. This was me giving all the love he gave me back to him. I leaned my forehead down on his. We were softly panting, sharing the same air. It felt so intimate. It felt wonderful. “Does this make you happy?” I asked him softly.

“Yes,” he breathed out to me. He pulled me closer and kissed me softly. I wrapped my arms under and around him. I loved his soft moans and pants. I made sure I was tender and gentle. I took my time and was so glad I did.

The moment was magical. The night was warm and sometimes a soft breeze would pass by and caress our skin. He was beautiful and perfect underneath me. I didn’t know how I could love him more and more and yet I did. My heart felt like it could burst. I watched his face, his eyes closed and lips parted. Soft moans and pants as I slid in and out of him. I moaned softly and kissed him. His lips were so soft and beautiful. 

“You feel so good, baby,” I said breathlessly. I pulled him closer and kissed him.

He moaned and arched his back slightly. I started going a bit faster. He moaned a bit louder. I kissed his lips and down the left side of his jaw and down his neck. We pulled each other even closer. It almost felt like a dream. The moonlight and warm haze. The soft breeze. The scenery and the sounds around us. Him. Me. Us. Our love.

“Fill me,” he whispered in my ear.

I felt the goosebumps all over my skin. “Yes baby,” I said. I would give him anything he wanted. I started thrusting in him faster. Deeper. He moaned louder. I held him tight and then came in him. I felt his fingertips digging into my back, clinging to me tightly as I filled him with my release, just as he had asked. Once I had finished, I slid down and took him in my mouth. He came soon after.

I laid my cheek on his stomach and I felt his soft hands in my hair. We laid there panting.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you,” I replied.

Once we had caught our breath, we got up and got dressed. We sat a while together and once our legs felt less wobbly we slowly walked our bikes back home. Once home, we quietly walked up to our bedroom and gently closed our bedroom door. We undressed and crawled into bed. I pulled the covers over us, to our waists and settled behind Elio, wrapping my arms around him, spooning him.

“I want this,” he whispered to me. “I want this for the rest of my life.”

“So do I,” I said as I kissed his shoulder.

“I want your kiss and your touch for the rest of my life,” he whispered

I smiled and ran my lips across his soft skin. “I want nothing more than to kiss and touch you for the rest of my life,” I said.

“Than it’s settled,” he said as he pressed his beautiful body to mine.

“It is, my love,” I replied. I closed my eyes and held him close. My happiness seemed almost unreal. It felt almost too good to be true. But it wasn’t. I smiled as I closed my eyes. Sleep found me quickly and I gladly drifted off into a peaceful, happy sleep.


	12. La Campanella

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To watch an amazing video of La Campanella by Liszt, look up the one uploaded by Rousseau on YouTube!  
> Mayajo darling...this one is for you!!  
> Enjoy!  
> <3

And the days rolled by. My love for Elio just seemed more concrete. About a week after our day at the berm and the lake we somehow just found ourselves alone in the house. Shannon and Elio’s parents had gone into town and Mafalda was out and Anchise said he was going fishing.

It was after lunch and so the sun was at its hottest so Elio and I went into the living room. I looked at Elio. “So, what’s the hardest piano song you know how to play?” 

“Oh!” Elio said. “For sure Liszt’s La Campanella,” he said with a gorgeous smile.

“Play it for me handsome,” I said, kissing him on the lips.

“Oh.. and what will I get in return?” Elio asked with a low, sexy voice.

“What do you want?” I asked.

Elio gasped softly. “I’ll think about it,” Elio said. “Come on.”

Elio walked to the piano stool and motioned me to come closer with his head. I walked over. I stood by the piano as Elio seemed to stretch his arms up and then stretch this neck and back. I chuckled. “Stretching?” I asked.

“I’ll need it!” He said. He took a deep breath and I went and stood beside him and watched as he began to play. He wasn’t joking when he said the song was hard to play. I watched in amazement as Elio’s fingers expertly played the song and I watched as they flew up and down the keyboard. I watched as his fingers stretched and reached keys I didn’t think were possible to reach. It was amazing. He put his whole body into it leaning forward and back as he played. When last part came and the song got louder and reached a dizzying frenzy of notes. I grinned as I watched Elio concentrate and play it perfectly. God he was amazing. A work of art and a soul to match.

He finished and turned to look at me with a proud look on his face. I couldn’t help it and clapped. “Wow! Elio that was amazing!”

Elio grinned and shrugged his pale shoulders and stuck out his bottom lip. He was too adorable. I bent over and kissed him. Hard. “You know how sexy you are when you play for me,” I said.

Elio perked up. “How sexy?” He asked.

“A lot sexy,” I said grinning.

“I know what I want,” Elio said getting up from the bench.

“Ok,” I said furrowing my brow.

He took off his shirt. “Fuck me, here,” Elio said.

I was slightly taken aback. But the feeling passed quickly. “Angel, your words,” I said as I held his face. “They...” I trailed off.

“They make you incredibly hard?” Elio asked, pressing his palm to my hardening cock. I gasped as his gorgeous fingers slid into my shorts and into my boxer.

“We don’t have any -“

“Says who?” Elio asks as he produces a small bottle of lube out of his pocket and grinned. Oh... he was waking a dangerous beast inside of me.

“Fuck,” I said.Elio smiled and but his bottom lip as he caressed my chest. He was so sexy. I undid my shorts and pushed them down along with my boxers. I had no shirt on. I was naked and hard. I took a hold of Elio’s hips, and turned him around. I wrapped my arms around him and put my lips to his ear. “Take off your shorts and boxers,” I whispered.” He did as he was told. “That’s a good baby,” I said.

“Always, for you,” He said in a low deep voice. I couldn’t believe how much his voice had changed this past year.

“Do you know how fuckable you are?” I asked, unable to keep the rough edge off my voice. I was so turned on.

“No,” Elio said in the most innocent of whispers. “Why don’t you show me,” he said and pushed his soft behind against my weeping erection. I lost control. Truly.

I took his hands and held them against the piano. I took the lube and squirted some in my erection. I bent him over, spread his legs and pushed myself in. I loved Elio. I loved him with all my heart, mind, body and soul. I cherished him above all else in this world. With all that being said though...

“Oh I’m about to show you,” I said as I thrusted in. My body took over and I started fucking him with an intensity in not sure I’ve ever felt. His voice was deeper and so were his guttural groans. I could barely wrap my mind around then. He felt amazing, warm and tight, and his back so smooth, his ass so soft against me. I looked down and watched as I truly had my way with his body.

“Fuck! Yes! Yes!” He cried out between sexy moans and groans. He began to whimper yet he pushed himself back into me. I was going insane with ecstasy. I couldn’t help it but I came incredibly quick. I had never been harder and I felt my release shoot deep inside of him. The satisfaction was immeasurable. I stayed deep inside him until I began to soften.

I then slid out, spinning him around and dropped to my knees. I threw his right leg over my shoulder and took him in my mouth. The distorted sound of the piano came as his ass hit the keys. He was crying out. He was grabbing and pulling at my hair but I didn’t ease up. I sucked even harder.

He cried out incredibly loud as he came in my mouth. He literally collapsed forward and I laughed as we landed on the floor, half under the piano.

He was panting. “Fuck me! Fuck! Can you pass out from being fucked so good?” He asked me. I laughed and felt so extremely proud of myself for giving him such pleasure.

Once I could, I gathered our clothes and then him off the floor and carried him up to our bedroom. It was time for our afternoon nap. I threw our clothes in the floor and laid him gently on the bed. I slid in behind him and spooned him. I had never felt better. Elio was sleep in no time. I smiled. I followed suit.

 

* * *

 

“Did you boys have a pleasant afternoon?” The professor asked during dinner later that day.

“Oh yeah. It was nice,” Elio said with a cute smile.

“What did you do?” He asked.

“Oh Elio blew me away with his piano skills,” I said with a huge grin as I squeezed his hand. “He played La Campanella for me,” I told the professor.

“Ah! Elly Belly! Great piece!”

“Indeed!” I said. “Just brings forth all kinds of emotions you never even knew you had!” I said. I felt Elio’s foot on mine and I smile down at my plate as I lifted my toes up and rubbed his soft arch. I couldn’t help it and leaned in and kissed him. He giggle and rubbed his nose on mine before kissing me back.

 

* * *

 

We were in bed that night. I was holding him and he had his head on my shoulder as he rubbed my chest.

“That was amazing today,” he said softly.

“Indeed it was,” I said grinning at him.

“You were... a bit forceful,” he said with a hint of a smile on his perfect lips.

“Hmm, can’t quite take all the credit for that,” I said, trying to keep a straight face as well. “I mean you sort of slid your hands in my shorts and asked for it so...”

Elio laughed and climbed on me and leaned down and kissed me. “Oh, so it was all me?” He asked me grinning.

I ran my hands up his body, digging my fingertips into his beautiful soft skin. “Well, lets just say that you know exactly how to bring out the beast in me,” I said as I gently pulled him to me and we kissed.

The memory of earlier today courses through me and I kissed him more hungrily. Elio moaned. “It’s my turn,” he said. “I need to fuck you,” he said. I was about to turn around when he stopped me. “No. No I want to see you,” he said.

Elio put some pillows under my hips. He kissed down my body, all the while murmuring about how perfect I was. I felt my heart start my race. He made me feel so much. He sucked me a while and I leaned my head back and enjoyed the feeling of his wonderfully warm mouth on me. With one swift motion, he released me and then entered me and I wasn’t quite ready.

I gasped and grabbed his wrist as he took hold of my hips. Elio started thrusting in and out of me. It was intense. I looked up at him. I loved the look on his face. “You feel so good,” he groaned. I release his wrists as my body adjusted to him. He ran his hands across my lower abdomen. “God you’re so perfect,” he said.

I looked up at him as he fucked me. He felt amazing. He was pleasing me so much. I loved how his hands were all over my body, my thighs, abdomen, hips and stomach. He looked so beautiful in the moonlight shining in through our window. He got more forceful and pushed my knees towards me as he opened me wider. I pulled my right knee back so he could get in as deep as he wanted. I groaned as he thrusted in deeper than he had been. The burn was delicious. I opened myself up even further, wanting and needing Elio to be in as deep as possible.

He reached and stroked me. My body was overcome by pleasure and I came quite quickly after he started stroking me. He then thrusted in me hard and fast and came soon after. I loved how he moaned as he came. He was beautiful. We cleaned up and I pulled him to me as we settled down on the bed.

“That was so good,” he said and he settle into my arms.

“Everything with you is beyond good, baby,” I whispered as I kissed him and cuddled him close to me. We drifted off to sleep.


	13. Alpi Orobie

The day after our moment at the piano was a Thursday. Elio, Shannon and I were lounging in the sun after a swim. 

“You guy’s doing anything this weekend?” She asked.

“Yeah,” Elio said.

I glanced at him and lifted my sunglasses. “We are?” I asked.

“We are,” he said. “I thought you may wanna get out of the house and go to Bergamo,” with me,” he said softly.

“Ooh... romantic getaway within a romantic getaway?” Shannon said with a smile. “Doesn’t get more romantic than that!”

I grinned. “Tell me about it,” I said softly.

“And also maybe I won’t be woken up in the middle of the night by Elio’s orgasmic gasps and moans,” she said with another huge grin. I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. I looked at Elio who was so red.

“What?!” He said.

“I’m a very light sleeper and you darling let it go when that delightful moment comes!” She said leaning towards him and putting her hand to the side of her mouth and whispering it loudly. I could not believe this and I laughed again.

Elio smacked me on the thigh. “Oh my god Shannon, I will never be able to look you in the eyes again!” He said. He covered his face.

“Put your hands down or you’ll have the weirdest tan lines,” Shannon said nonchalantly, as if we had just been talking about the weather.

 

* * *

 

The following day, Friday, the professor and Annella took us to where the buses came into Crema. We put our bags in the side and then we hugged the Perlmans before we boarded on.

“Ok, reservations are in your name Elio, since you have your ID from here. Order room service on whatever you want! There is a bar there. I’m not old fashioned but I’m also not crazy so keep the alcohol consumption to a reasonable level and if you’re gonna drink, stay in the room! If you go out, wait to get drunk in the room. I don’t need you drunk and stumbling the roads to a city your both not familiar with. Call us when you get there! Always text me back, and have a wonderful time! See you Monday!” The professor said. Elio and I had nodded to everything. We hugged him. We kissed Annella and we got on the big blue bus.

We walked down and I went all the way to the end to wave at them. The bus started moving and I grinned and waved one last time then went and found Elio and took my seat beside him. I was so happy. I leaned into him and bumped him with my shoulder. “What?” He asked me.

“Nothing,” I said laughing. I looked out the window and leaned back on my seat. Elio and I clasped hands.

The ride was absolutely pleasant. Elio and I looked out the window, holding hands and whispering to each other. He told me we were to go for a hike first. I nodded and smiled at him. “Your wish is my command,” I said softly. I meant it. I would give him anything to make him happy. He meant so much to me.

Once we got to Bergamo he started telling me about the city. I listened to him intently. I could listen for hours to him talk. “So, believe it or not this place is actually super old, it dates back to 49 BC,” he said.

“Wow!” I said. I suddenly looked around me in more admiration.

“I know right?” He said with his cute open mouth laugh.

“Tell me more,” I said to him as we walked down the gorgeous cobble stone streets.

“So it actually isn’t once city, it’s two really. One on top of the other. This is the Citta Alta, where our hotel is and the Citta Bassa, where we were and the funicular connects the two. I prefer being up here, in the older part,” Elio said grinning at me.

“How often have you come?” I asked.

“With my parents three times and now with you. And I love it more and more each time I come,” he said. “This is our hotel,” he said beaming. “Relaid San Lorenzo. It has an archeological site inside,” he said beaming again as he was was feeding me all this information. 

“What?” I said, eyes wide.

“Yeah there’s a Roman wall inside that dates to 300 AD,” he said, beaming. I shook my head in amazement. We walked into the lobby and we checked in. We were in the second floor and we made our way up. When we reached out room, I was beyond pleasantly surprised. The room had a queen size bed and the bathroom had a gorgeous large white jacuzzi tub. It looked like a huge deep white oval bowl just perched on the gorgeous tile of the bathroom. It was all open so you could look out the window. I did so at the moment and was taking aback by the scenery.

“That’s the Viscontea fortress of Piazza Mascheroni,” Elio said.

I glanced at him and grabbed him. I kissed him deeply. “You,” I said.

“Me?” He asked laughing. 

“You,” I said raking his face in my hands. “I love how you know everything about everything!” I kissed him again. “I love your brain. I love your lips,” I said kissing him deeper. “I love how you sound when you speak Italian,” I said.

Elio stared up at me, giving me a sweet, adoring look. He looked so lovely. I kissed him gently. “Oliver,” he whispered to me.

I shook my head and grabbed his chin, caressing if with my thumb. “Oliver,” I whispered to him.

He smiled. “Elio,” he said and pulled me in for a kiss.

 

* * *

 

We went for a hike as he wanted. We climbed up the Alpi Orobie.“You know my spot? Remember how the water was freezing?” He asked.

“You mean, our spot?” I asked grinning. “Yeah?”

He grinned at me. “This is where the water comes from,” he said. “This is the source.”

I nodded and looked around. It was a lovely area. I saw the water and I walked to it. I instinctively bend down and stuck my hand in it. I sat there and just watched the river water go by. Elio came and sat beside me. He took my hand. “It’s beautiful here,” I whispered.

“Yeah,” Elio said. We sat quietly for a moment. “Said the river: imagine everything you can imagine, then keep on going,” Elio said. I grinned. I knew that poem.

“Whenever the water struck a stone it had something to say, and the water itself, and even the mosses trailing under the water. And slowly, very slowly, it became clear to me what they were saying. Said the river I am part of holiness. And I too, said the stone. And I too, whispered the moss beneath the water,” I recited.

“You know it?” Elio asked, grinning.

“I know it,” I said. 

“I’d been to the river before, a few times. Don’t blame the river that nothing happened quickly. You don’t hear such voices in an hour or a day. You don’t hear them at all if selfhood has stuffed your ears. And it’s difficult to hear anything anyway, through all the traffic, the ambition,” Elio whispered.

I glanced over at Elio and he looked my way. We just stared into each other’s eyes for a moment as we sat there. “Thank you from bringing me here,” I said.

“It’s the source of the water of our spot,” he said. I nodded. “I felt I had to bring you here, it’s ...” he trailed off. I understood. I took his hand. He was unable to find words so I just said what I was feeling.

“I love you. I love this. I love us. I’m so happy.”

He looked at me and grinned and blushed. I smiled back. He felt loved. Good. That’s all I wanted and needed right now. “I’m glad we came,” Elio said. We sat out there another long moment. Until we started getting hungry and tired and we started making our way back to the hotel.


	14. Città Alta

Elio was right. The Città Alta was absolutely amazing. The streets were cobbled stone and winding. It was like stepping back in time. Just like I felt it in Crema, my soul felt at peace. Relaxed. Euphoric. It was almost as if I was in a fairy tale. Once we returned to our hotel room, we took a wonderfully relaxing bath. Once we had relaxed, we dressed and went out and Elio said he wanted to show me the Cappella Colleoni. 

It was one of the most beautiful buildings I had ever seen. We turned the corner off the Piazza Vecchia. I stared at the marvel facade. It was built in Italian Renaissance style.

“Bartolomeo Colleoni was a famous mercenary soldier who spent his life fighting for the Republic of Venice,” Elio told me. I nodded and smiled as he went into genius mode and filled me in on all this amazing history. “He was born here in Bergamo, and returned home at the height of his power. This chapel was built for him. He’s buried inside.”

I looked at it more and took some pictures with my iPhone. It looked beautiful against the orange and blue hues of the sky and setting sun. Elio held my hand as we slowly strolled along and then came to a small restaurant. We sat outside and Elio told me we had to order the local pasta.

“Pasta Casoncelli is traditional to the Lombardy region,” Elio told me.

“Great! Can’t wait!” I said. Of course it was absolutely delicious. We drank wine and ate until we couldn’t anymore. Once we left the restaurant the sun had set and the streets were lit by the yellow street lights around. We held hands and strolled around.

“God this place is beautiful,” I said. I looked around and just felt totally overwhelmed by the beauty around me. “I thought it was like in a dream before and now it’s like dream intensified,” I said. We turned down a street, and although the town was far from crowded we would see the random person or couple here and there. When we turned down this specific street, there was no one. It was beautiful and romantic and here I was with the love of my life.

I turned and looked at Elio and wrapped him in my arms. I kissed him passionately. I was overcome by the day and the city and Elio and how smart he was and how much he knew and he was just beautiful beyond reason and sweet and amazing beyond belief and I loved him so much and to make it all so incredibly mind blowing was the fact that he loved me. Just as much. Just as intensely and just as passionately. All that came out in the way we kissed. I pushed him up against the wall of the building we were by and I felt him wrap his arms around me.

I placed my forearms against the cool stone wall, leaning in and claimed his lips as mine again. And again. And again. His soft pants was all I could hear. I would pull away and look down at him and watch as his lips kept getting redder. I loved how he was looking up at me. I felt, the longer we kissed the more turned on he was getting.

“Let’s go,” he said as he pulled me tight to him. “Let’s go back to our room.”

I nodded I grabbed his hand as we made the quick walk back to our hotel. We ran up the stairs and down the hallway to our room. The moment we were inside he jumped on me. I laughed as held him to me and he wrapped himself around me. I felt his lips at his neck. “Oh god I want you so bad,” he said as he kissed me all over my face and neck. 

“Yes baby,” I said.

He started unbuttoning my shirt as quickly as he could. I looked down at him, at his gorgeous face and loved the expression he had. He was so turned on and it made my heart beat crazy fast. He pushed my shirt roughly off my shoulders. He panted as he leaned forward and kissed my chest. As he did this he reached down for my jeans and undid them quite quickly. He reached around and slid his hands inside my boxers, his soft, slender fingers digging into my ass. It was sexy. Be had never quite been this in control.

I moaned as he pulled me into him. He slid my jeans and boxers down. He pushed me onto the bed and I fell back into it. He took my jeans off the rest of the way. He climbed into me, still fully dressed as I was completely naked. He kissed me forcefully and slid his tongue into my mouth. He explored every part of it. He pushed down on my chest as he got up on his knees and started unbuttoning his shirt. I placed my hands on his thighs as he panted and and slipped his shirt off.

He got off the bed and started undoing his pants. “Scoot back on the bed,” he said breathlessly. I did as he asked me to do. “Get on your hands and knees.” I did as he told me. I heard him rummaging around and then felt the bed move as he got on it. I felt his soft hands hands on my hips and he gently massages my skin, working his way inwards. He gently opened me up and I felt his tongue at my entrance. I shivered and got instantly hard as his tongue slid in and out of me. He licked and kissed and sucked at me hungrily.

It was getting intense and I was moaning and rocking my hips at the pleasure he was giving me. His finger tips dug into my skin and I groaned louder. He pulled away and I instantly missed his tongue in me. I whimpered wanting and needing more of him. I felt his tip right at my entrance and suddenly SMACK I felt his hand come down on my right ass cheek. I was not expecting it and I cried out. He thrusted himself in suddenly. He then SMACK spanked me again. He thrusted in me forcefully. And SMACK a third one in the same spot. My skin was burning there and I felt his hand graze over the welt that I knew had formed. 

“Oh god you’re body is so amazing!” He said and he started thrusting in and out of me. Hard. Rough. Fast. He wasn’t holding back in anyway. He was enjoying this immensely and it turned me on even more to know he was getting such pleasure out of this. He was, as always, giving me his running commentary of how good this was and how good this felt. How perfect I was and how much I pleased him. I loved how much he talked of course. It was something that was very Elio and something I had gotten not only used to but now wanted and needed and loved.

“Oh god you please me so much! Of fuck yes! Yes! Yes!” He said between pants. I loved how he rushed his words. He fucked me even harder and I loved how he groaned as he leaned forward and I felt his fingers dig into my back. “I’m gonna spank you again, ok?” He asked me.

“Yes, ok,” I said panting.

“Count to three,” he said. He slowed and kept himself into me.

“One... two... three.”

SMACK!

I groaned and I could feel Elio getting harder. He thrusted a few times. “Again,” he said.

“One,” I said my voice shaking. “Two... three.”

SMACK!

He thrusted into me several times. His loud groan filling the room. “Again!” He demanded.

“One... two... three.”

SMACK!

“Give me your arms!” He said. I furrowed my brow and bent my left arm back. He grabbed it by the wrist. I bent my right art and he grabbed it by the wrist as well and held them tightly as he fucked me harder than I had ever felt. He spread my knees and I leaned forward, chest and chin digging into the mattress. He was relentless. He was incredible. He came in me and I came as well, I couldn’t have held it back even if I wanted to.

He let go of my wrists and I collapsed on the bed. He collapsed on me.

“Fuck,” he said.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Fuck.” My brain was mush.

He rubbed my ass where he had spanked it. “God I love your ass,” he said. I laughed. “And you, all you, of course. I love you.”

“And I love you,” I said softly panting. I was in bliss.

 


	15. Heaven

Our last two days in Bergamo were short and sweet. We slept in Saturday morning, got out and ate. Went sight seeing. The town was old and magical. Again, dinner and a late night stroll just to rush back to our room. This time he was mine. Sunday a repetition of the day before except we went to different places in town. We came back early and had dinner through room service, as well as a bottle of wine. We took a long warm bath and were in bed before 8 pm. 

We took turns then. Slow soft kisses and caressed were reciprocated and one didn’t take more from the other that wasn’t given in return. It was slow and gentle and then it turned needy but there was no roughness this time. We wanted to savor each other’s bodies. There was no rush. We had no other care that night than pleasing each other and knowing we would be pleased just as lovingly in return.

Monday at noon we hopped on a bus and rode back to Crema. It suddenly popped in my head I hadn’t gone to the square in the postcard. Or did we? We explored the whole gorgeous place. It didn’t matter. I was silly to be jealous. Elio was mine, I was his and Bergamo was ours. I vowed we would return. Maybe next summer... Maybe on our honeymoon... Maybe for a wedding anniversary... Or maybe when our kids were grown and had moved to college and we wanted to recall our young love. I felt the butterflies in my stomach. I could allow myself to think this way. Elio wasn’t going anywhere and neither was I.

I clasped Elio’s hand and looked out the window during our ride back. It’s always funny that when you’re going somewhere you don’t know the ride there seems to take forever. I was all settled in for a leisurely and long ride home when suddenly we were in Crema and we were getting off the bus. We would even have an hour or two to spare before dinner. I had gotten a hair cut while in Bergamo. I did it on a whim and went short. Shorter than Elio had ever seen it. He couldn’t stop looking at it and grinning me. He kept telling me I looked so handsome, but in his own special way.

“I mean, not to say that you weren’t handsome before, because you so were and you’re just... perfection. You know that. You’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, but, god I really like this haircut. I loved your hair before too, don’t get me wrong. But I REALLY like this haircut!” And he would run his soft fingers along the base of my hairline and give me goosebumps. God he was a perfect.

We got off the bus and got our bags and climbed into the Professor’s van. Again the ride seemed too short and we pulled into the Villa in no time. Elio was dozing off on my shoulder and Annella saw and told us to go nap before dinner. She didn’t ask why we were so tired since we had caught the bus at noon. Maybe she knew. We had dozed off as the sun had begun to rise that morning. We had made love all night. I would never ever forget that Bergamo sunrise. Just like I would never forget the sunrise at the Berm.

I picked Elio up and carried him into the house. “What are you doing?!” He said gently patting my chest.

“You’re falling sleep,” I said. I turned to the Professor and Annella. “I’ll bring up our bags after we have dinner!” I said. I loved the look on their faces. They knew I loved their son. They knew how much I cherished and adored him. They knew and it made me even happier and it made our love even more amazing.

“Go, go!” Annella said with a bright smile and the Professor put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. I grinned at them and made my way inside. I went up the stairs.

“Shannon can you open my door!” I called out. I heard some rustling and suddenly Shannon appeared at my bedroom door. She saw Elio and said a soft aw. I grinned at her. He had passed out as I had carried him up the stairs. 

“Long night last night?” She asked. As she shut the door softly behind us.

I grinned. I wasn’t one to kiss and tell but Shannon was just so easy to talk to and I had no shame in our love. “Till the sunrise,” I said softly as I removed his shoes.

“God you guys are so lucky. PLEASE invite me for the wedding ok!”

“Of course,” I said. She blew me a kiss and went into her room, shutting her door just as gently so as to not wake Elio up. I was glad he had a button up shirt on. I gently slid it off him as well as his shorts. I then undressed down to my boxers and spooned him. I looked out at the afternoon sun. I let out a sigh. Heaven. It was real. I was in heaven.

 

* * *

 

When Elio and I awoke, we showered and dressed and went downstairs for dinner. We had found our luggage by our door when we had exited our room. Dinner was fantastic and Elio and I passed our phones around to show everyone the pictures we had taken. Elio and I glanced at each other and he gave me a sexy little smile.

On our second night there I had grabbed my phone as I was inside of him. “Let me take some pics,” I said. He had grinned and nodded. I had taken some photos as I was penetrating him. I had moved them around and they were in a completely different file now and not with the photos. He had asked to see them I loved how his cheeks had blushed. He told me he really liked them. The following night he had asked to do the same with me and I had said yes. He moved them around as I did. They were hidden and for our eyes only. I had asked to see them and I had loved them.

“Oh it’s gorgeous!” Shannon said.

I nodded coming back to the present. “And not full of tourists, which I loved even though we are tourists!” I told her.

“Oh no no no,” Annella said. “You are both special and are extended family!”

“Especially you, son in law,” Shannon said and Annella and the Professor said a loud united “YES!” and Elio just sat there with a huge but goofy smile on his face. I leaned in and kissed him. He kissed me right back.

Everyone around the table laughed and clapped. Yup. I was in Heaven.

 

* * *

 

The following day we were in the attic and Elio had brought his acoustic guitar.

He played a few things here and there. I was laying back on the mattress watching him play. I would kiss and caress his knee. It was the closest part of his body I had to me.

He suddenly started strumming a soft song that sounded familiar but I wouldn’t quite place. I looked up at him as he began to sing to me.

“Oh thinkin' about all our younger years. There was only you and me, we were young and wild and free. Now nothin' can take you away from me. We've been down that road before but that's over now, you keep me comin' back for more. Baby, you're all that I want, when you're lyin' here in my arms. I'm findin' it hard to believe we’re in heaven. And love is all that I need. And I found it there in your heart. It isn't too hard to see, we’re in heaven.”

I smiled at the absolute perfection of the place, song, moment and person I was experiencing this with. I almost pinched myself to make surethis was true. I looked up at him, grinning, as he continued.

“Oh once in your life you find someone who will turn your world around bring you up when you're feelin' down. Yeah nothin' could change what you mean to me, oh, there's lots that I could say but just hold me now cause our love will light the way. And baby, you're all that I want when you're lyin' here in my arms, I'm findin' it hard to believe we’re in heaven. Yeah and love is all that I need. And I found it there in your heart. It isn't too hard to see, we’re in heaven.”

Elio smiled down at me. I gently rubbed his knee. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

“I've been waitin' for so long for somethin' to arrive. For love to come along. Now our dreams are comin' true, through the good times and the bad. Yeah I'll be standin' there by you. And baby, you're all that I want when you're lyin' here in my arms, I'm findin' it hard to believe we’re in heaven. And love is all that I need. And I found it there in your heart. It isn't too hard to see we’re in heaven, heaven.”

He finished the song and laid the guitar down. He leaned down and kissed me. “That was absolutely perfect baby,” I said.

“Good,” he said softly. He slipped his shorts off and laid on the mattress beside me. I took a deep breath in and out. There was no denying it. I was truly in Heaven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song was Heaven by Bryan Adams


	16. The Chosen Ones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **This was the best person I had ever known in my life. I had chosen him well.**  
>  _Call Me By Your Name_  
>  \- André Aciman
> 
> For my partner in crime opie1205

It was the Wednesday night after we had returned from Bergamo. It had been hot and we had napped a little too long before dinner and now it was 12:05 am and we were wide awake and quite restless in bed. We decided to go for a walk. 

I slipped on some khaki shorts and a baby blue button up shirt. Elio had a blue and red striped muscle tee and some random paisley shorts that were just very European, slightly shorter than what what was worn in the states but, of course, he pulled everything off... because he could pull anything off. I was sure he would look gorgeous in a burlap sack.

Somehow we ended up walking down the main path of the Villa and walked down the front concrete steps. There was a gate post and half wall in either side of the path and we went to one that was under a tree. I swung my right leg over it and settled back on the part that sloped up. It was quite comfortable. Elio gave me a sweet smile. I grabbed him round the waist a literally picked him up and swung him onto me. He laughed his adorable laugh. I laughed as well. I looked at him, bathed in moonlight. Ethereal. Angelic. Perfect. Perfect... this was the best person I knew. The best person I had ever known in my life. I had chosen him well... I shook my head. No he had chosen me.

“What?” He asked me. He had seen me shake my head as I grinned at him.

“I...” I thought about how to put all I had felt and thought into words. “I’m glad you love me. I’m glad you’re with me. You’re... amazing. You’re perfection...”

He leaned onto my chest and I felt him shake as he laughed gently.

“I’m being real. You asked ‘what’ I’m telling,” I said.

He pushed himself up. “I love you so much Oliver,” he said. I smiled at him. “It’s amazing,” he said softly as he closed his eyes. “It’s amazing how you’re you and I’m me and this... this is the same as it was when I left and yet everything is different...” he trailed off and looked off into the distance. He looked back at me. “Maybe you’ll feel it when we go back to California,” he said. 

“Maybe I’m feeling it now,” I said. I thought about the thoughts I had while in Bergamo. Honeymoon. Anniversaries. Vacations after grown up kids had flown the coop. Could I share this now? I didn’t know. I closed my eyes. Maybe I could send it out into the magical atmosphere of Crema and maybe my wish would float around in the fragrant Italian night air and reach him in a dream. Then he could dream of our honeymoon and anniversaries and kids and growing old together.

“Are you feeling it now?” He asked as I felt his soft hand slide inside my hastily buttoned shirt. I had only buttoned a few buttons in the middle of my chest and had left the rest undone. I felt his hand slide up my stomach and he rested it on top of my heart.

I opened my eyes and l looked at him. I placed my hand on top of his. “You live here,” I said. My throat feeling suddenly dry and my heart suddenly beating faster. In the light of the moon I saw his angelic eyes widen slightly at this. I had told Elio I loved him plenty of time. We had made love countless times more. I was beyond certain by now heknew I loved him. I knew this.

Yet... this still felt new. Soul baring. Slightly frightening still. I felt my breathing quicken as well. I thought I had given all of my soul to Elio. I thought I had showed him each of its darkest corners and deepest crevices. Maybe I had... maybe it was my dreams and wishes and purest desires that had not been shared between us.

“Here?” He asked softly.

I nodded. He pressed his palm a bit harder into my chest. My strong heartbeat beating steadily but faster than usual. “In my heart,” I said breathlessly.

He gave me a sweet smile. “I love that,” he said.

I then pointed to my head. “And here,” I said.

“In your thoughts?” He asked me. 

“Yes,” I replied. “And in my dreams.”

“Your dreams?” He asked innocently.

“Yes,” I repeated. “If I could have you like this in my dreams every night of my life,” I said softly. “I'd stake my entire life on dreams and be done with the rest.”

He blushed. I couldn’t believe I could see it in the moonlight and it made me love him even more. He knew I was deeply and madly in love with him and yet a simple revelation of me wanting nothing by dreams of him was enough to make him blush. He was so humble and not in the least self centered. He was so much better than me. Indeed, the best person I had ever and would ever know.

He shook his head this time. “I... my god I always want you!” He said. 

We chuckled together. “Nature has a cunning way of finding our weakest spot,” I said softly as I pulled him onto me. He unbuttoned my shirt and slid it open. I slid it off my arms and it slid down behind me, hanging off the concrete wall. Elio slipped his shirt off. I helped him lift himself up and off came his shorts and boxers.

I slid mine off as well. I placed mine under me so I wouldn’t be sitting naked on a brick wall. We laughed at this. He was safely on my lap, straddling me. “I think everyone is sleep, so we should be safe,” he said. “No one should like, walk out and see us.” He looked around.

“Well, I mean even if they did, they should just turn around and go back inside,” I said pulling him to me hungrily. I honestly didn’t care that we were completely naked outside of the house. It was the middle of the night so no one should be out. But in case they walked by, it was no secret to anyone that we were together.

I kissed him passionately as he straddled me and his erection touched mine. I wrapped my hand around both of them and began to stroke. His moans were so sexy. He pulled himself up to me and was almost resting his body on mine as I stroked us together. I loved how it felt. He pulled himself up to me and he was kissing my neck and moaning his sexy soft moans. I had my arm around his waist and was holding him tightly to me. It all felt so good.

“Ooh, ooh, ooh, so good,” Elio was saying breathlessly. I loved all his sounds. I love how much he talked. I loved everything about this beautiful man. He was thrusting his hips as I stroked us together. It felt amazing. I felt him tightening up his grip around me. We kissed. Hard. He then kissed down my jaw and gently sucked in my neck. That pushed me over the edge. I came and he came right after. We held each other tight and kissed each other softly. 

Once we began to relax I pulled my blue button up shirt from behind me and cleaned us up. Elio’s legs were a little shaky. “Shall I carry you upstairs my love?” I asked him with a kiss.

He giggled and kissed me back. “No... I can walk,” he said but I saw how he glanced at my face to make sure he wasn’t hurting my feelings. He was so sweet. So considerate. So gentle.

I caressed his cheek. “You are the best person I have ever met,” I told him softly.

I felt his cheek warm and he did this thing were he looked down all shy when he’s given a compliment. Least he did it with me, not sure about anyone else. I loved it. It showed his sweet and humble nature and that was one of the main reasons he was as amazing as he was.

“Ha ha,” he said with his cute open mouth laugh. “No, no I -“

I leaned in and kissed him before he could continue. “I’m older and wiser, don’t disagree with me,” I said, with mock indignation.

He just laughed again. I kissed him longer. A long, long time. Finally I was satisfied, somewhat. We hopped off the wall and started walking back into the Villa. We silently crept up to our room.

“My parents sleep with their window open, you think we made any noise?” Elio asked.

I threw my dirty shirt on the floor as I started taking off my shorts. “Nothing to worry about,” I whispered to him and leaned in and kissed him. He smiled shyly and undressed. We got into bed. I pulled him into me as I spooned him. “Elio, I meant it,” I said. “You’re the best person I know,” I whispered into his ear. It sounded like he gasped a soft gasp. I smiled. “I wish I could say I chose you well, but, you, being the angel that you are, chose me. And I’m so happy you did. I’m so proud that you chose me,” I said, my voice shaking slightly with emotion.

I closed my eyes and smiled. He was quiet, which meant he was speechless. He felt so wonderfully warm against my body. My one true love. The object of all my dreams and desires. Maybe I hadn’t had the guts to make the first move, but my heart had chosen him. My mind had chosen him. My soul had chosen him. And I had chosen him well.


	17. Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darlings!  
> With the start of the holiday season I will be more swamped with work and family and so I will not be updating as often as I am used to or like to or WANT TO!  
> I’m still keeping my every other day scheduled, but if you check on your fave fic of mine and it hasn’t posted come back in 48 hrs =)  
> I always post between 12-12:30 am EST  
> I will FOR SURE be posting at least on one of my fics every day!  
> Thank you everyone!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I did this before or not, but I had written another version of this series for myself and I went into great detail about how Elio was picked out by Oliver, inspired by how Oliver comes to Crema in the book. In case I haven’t I give more details here.  
> Enjoy!  
> <3

In the days that followed I did a lot of thinking. Thornton was in downtown LA and our home was in Santa Barbara. Elio couldn’t live in Santa Barbara. He would have to drive from Santa Barbara through Ventura county and into LA, back and forth every day. No. If we got an apartment in LA though I couldn’t make the drive everyday either. 

I discussed it with Chris through text one morning. “Well, maybe you guys could stay somewhere in Ventura county like from Sunday night till Friday after school and then spend the weekends at home”

“That’s a thought” I texted back.

“And... in case you’ve forgotten your mother now lives in Ventura county...”

I let out a sigh. “She sure does” I replied.

 

* * *

 

“Colonel Fitzwilliam's manners were very much admired at the Parsonage, and the ladies all felt that he must add considerably to the pleasures of their engagements at Rosings. It was some days, however, before they received any invitation thither...”

I smiled at Elio’s voice and closed my eyes as the afternoon sun warmed me. We were halfway through Pride & Prejudice. I was halfway through my time in Crema, as was Shannon. But right now time stood still and nothing else mattered.

I sighed and closed my eyes. Now looking back at when Elio and I met it seems funny about how quickly it felt that I had fallen for him. I would have been lying if I said I didn’t find him attractive from the first day I saw him. I did. It surprised me as he was just, as I thought, a high school kid. I thought back to earlier than that and how I didn’t want my parents to get another exchange student. How I had logged in as my mother and looked at profiles and had seen his sweet face.

When I told my mother that’s who I wanted her to chose and she agreed it almost made me pause with concern. Could it have really been that easy? Apparently it was. When I said I’d pick him up, my parents were just ok with it. I remember now how it only had his mother’s cellphone number and how I had just told my mother I needed his number if I was going to pick him up and two days later my mother had given me his cellphone number. I had lost count of how many times I had looked at his online profile picture then.

Even still, even with all that, when I met him at the airport I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready for the soft eyes and soft smile. The openness. The way his face showed all he was feeling. I certainly wasn’t ready for his intelligence. His talent. That soft charm that just exuded from him. I sighed again as I remembered it all. I wasn’t ready for any of it. I fought so hard against it. It was a losing battle and I knew but was scared. I think part of me was still fighting it, even as I climbed onto the plane that would bring me here, to Crema.

“Elizabeth was sitting by herself the next morning, and writing to Jane while Mrs. Collins and Maria were gone on business into the village, when she was startled by a ring at the door, the certain signal of a visitor...”

I smiled to myself again as his soft voice floated around us. I wasn’t sure when it had happened. It was easy to pinpoint the moment when I verbally admitted I was done fighting it, it was that night we went out swimming and we mentioned being together all our lives. Then the thoughts in Bergamo of a wedding and anniversaries and children. But those were the moments I had become aware I had fully accepted my fate. Sometime between the moment I had stepped on the plane and had come here and now, everything had changed, yet stayed the same. It was funny how things just did that.

Elio put the book down and we all went inside for our nap. I said nothing I just held his hand as we slowly walked up the stairs. He glanced at me and smiled sweetly a couple of times and I smiled back. We waved at Shannon as she walked into her room and us in ours. I went and flopped on the bed and Elio came and cuddled up to me. I kissed his forehead.

“You’re awfully quiet,” he whispered softly.

“Hmm,” was my reply.  

He chuckled. “What are you thinking?” He asked me.

What a loaded question, I thought. “About how Crema has just made me sure of all I thought was true,” I said.

“Ah,” Elio said. He sighed and kissed my chest. “I’m sure Frost would appreciate that,” he said chuckling.

“Indeed, he would,” I replied glancing his way. “I like how everything in life was explained by him using nature,” I said. I shook my head. “I know nothing here looks like New Hampshire or Boston but it’s a true statement to his words that I can look around Crema and see how what he wrote was true.” Elio nodded. “Which again, brings me back to, being here has only cemented what I thought was true,” I said looking up at the ceiling.

“Tell me it,” Elio said.

“The poem or my truth?” I asked closing my eyes as I smiled.

“Both,” Elio said.

“Which first?” I asked, eyes still closed.

“You chose.”

I took a deep breath in. “One of my wishes is that those dark trees, so old and firm they scarcely show the breeze, were not, as 'twere, the merest mask of gloom, but stretched away unto the edge of doom. I should not be withheld but that some day into their vastness I should steal away, fearless of ever finding open land, or highway where the slow wheel pours the sand. I do not see why I should e'er turn back, or those should not set forth upon my track to overtake me, who should miss me here and long to know if still I held them dear. They would not find me changed from him they knew— only more sure of all I thought was true.”

“And what is your truth?” Elio asked then.

I finally opened my eyes and turned my head so I could face his way. Our eyes met. “You.”

“Me?”

I nodded. “You.”

I looked back up at the ceiling. I found his hand and clasped it with mine. I held it. I didn’t need him to say anything back. There was no need. I felt so connected with him in this moment. I felt him squeeze my hand tightly and I knew he was, yet again speechless. I was happy. I hoped these speechless moments would be memories he recalled when he thought back of our time here. Maybe he would come home from a stressful day at work and he would sit on the couch and suddenly he would look at a photo on our mantel and recall right now and maybe the happiness of our moment would wash the stress away and bring a smile to his face. I smiled now thinking about it. That’s the kind of love I wanted to give him.

Elio reached for his phone and tapped the screen a few times. He placed the phone between us and Debussy’s Rêverie started playing. The soft and calming tune filled the room and drifted around us as we drifted off to a peaceful sleep. 


	18. Rome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for my very sweet and wonderful friend thecosmicfragments who I’m so glad I met through this wonderful community!! Thank you for the idea and thank you for being wonderful YOU!!  
> Enjoy!!  
> <3

“Of course we have to go to Rome,” Elio told me sweetly as he kissed me. I’m not even sure what time it is. It was still dark. He had woken me up... woken me up. He at first said he couldn’t sleep, he wanted me to hold him. I held him. But it was too hot for holding. He began to talk. Rushed, breathless whispers, as if he was nervous. 

“We need to go to Rome,” he had said.

“Rome?” I asked. I was actually half sleep as he stirred and asked me to hold him and he had noticed, I was sure and then he had spoken of Rome

“Of course we have to go to Rome,” Elio said.

I blinked my eyes. What was going on? I forced myself awake. Elio looked up at me. He was panting softly. His lips parted, soft fingers trembling slightly. I suddenly realized why he had woken me. I leaned in and kissed him. He melted into me. “I’m glad you woke me,” I said

“Yes?” He asked. 

“Yes,” I said as slid my boxers off. “Now tell me how I can please you.” I looked down at him.

He gave me a soft smile and he swallowed. “I like it when you...” He drifted off and looked at me.

“Tell me, baby,” I said softly.

“When you kiss my neck, but you rub my back at the same time.” So I did. He would nod and whisper yes softly. Then he guided me to kiss his chest. More of my hands on his back. He rolled on top of me and kissed my lips.

“Make love to me,” he said.

“Yes, My Love,” I replied.

He wanted to be on his back and he wanted his legs wrapped around me. His heels digging into the bones of my hip. It felt good. I slid gently into him. All the way in. His lips grazed mine as he gasped.

“Kiss me,” he asked and I did. Long, slow kisses.

“You feel like Heaven,” I said softly.

“You don’t know what heaven feels like,” he said chuckling.

“Yes I do,” I said. “It feels like being inside of you. It feels like your body filled with mine,” I said. We looked into each other’s eyes. We had adjusted to the darkness now.

He was speechless, but only for a moment. “Slow,” he asked and so I started sliding in and out of him slowly. “Don’t pull out so much, please,” he panted softly.

“Ok, baby,” I said. I was carefully to do as he asked. This wasn’t about me. This was all about him. My pleasure was all in pleasing him.

“Will you kiss my neck,” he whispered. I did.

“Is this ok?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes,” he whispered softly. “Yes.”

Yes. 

Never had a word meant to so much to me. Elio am I kissing you right? Am I loving you right? Do I make you happy? Do I make you proud? Elio am I making love to you right? Am I pleasing you fully? Am I all that you want? All that you need? Will you be with me forever? Will you...? Will you... I let that last question float into the hot Italian air.

“Yes,” he whispered breathlessly. I imagined his yes floating out and meeting my question.

“Yes,” he repeated.

I did all he asked. When he climaxed it was intense. The most intense I had ever seen him. He wasn’t loud or thrashing around or exaggerated at all. No. It was long and intense and it seemed his body felt it for a long time. I came in him and started to calm down and still his body pulsed gently with pleasure.

“Did I do that right baby?” I asked softly as I gently kissed the sweat from his neck.

“Yes,” he answered softly.

“Yes,” I repeated and smiled as I laid in his chest.

 

* * *

 

We took off for Rome that weekend. I was surprised but happy. “You meant it,” I said as we took our seats on the train.

“Why wouldn’t it?” He asked.

“Don’t know. Just thought you were trying to keep me awake till my dumb ass got the point of why you had woken me up,” I said glancing at him sideways.

He blushed. “Ha ha,” he laughed his cute open mouth laugh but didn’t say no.

The train took off. We had been driven to Milanby the Professor and now we were on a three hour train ride to Rome.

On the way there Elio told me of the first spot we were to visit. “Ponte Milvio,” he said. I was eager to go anywhere he wanted to go.

The train ride was relaxing and we held hands and chatted the whole way there. Once there we checked into our hotel room and went out to eat. Once we had eaten, Elio and I set out for the bridge. His little genius self came out.

“Ponte Milvio is Rome’s oldest bridge. It was originally built in 200BC. In 300AD it was the site of an important battle between Constantine the Great and Emperor Maxentius. The story goes that Constantine prayed with his troops and he saw a cross appear in the sky with a sign that said that he would conquer. He won the battle and he spread Christianity throughout his new empire. So this bridge is referred to as the the place where Christianity prevailed,” he said.

“Wow,” I said. I looked around.

“That’s not why we’re here though,” he said with a cute little smile. I smiled back. “There was a book written, Tre Metri Sopra il Cielo, Three Meters Above the Sky,” Elio said. I nodded. “The girl asks the boy in the story if he is happy, so happy he can touch the sky with his fingertips.” Elio laughed his cute laugh. I couldn’t help but chuckle as well. “He says no I’m so much more happy than that. I’m so happy I can touch three meters above the sky.”

“Aw, that’s beautiful,” I said. Elio nodded and grinned.

He took off his backpack and reached into it. He took out a padlock and key. “Look,” He said. He had a sharpie in his hand as well. He pointed to some locks on some lampposts around. “So, um, as a sign of our everlasting love,” he said. “I want us to initial the lock and then we’ll throw the key into the Tevere,” Elio said. 

I nodded and smiled. He initialed the lock and then wrote a plus sign and handed it to me. I did the same. We went and locked it amongst some others in a lamppost near by. He had the keys in his hand and before he threw them over, I grabbed his hand and kissed his slender fingers. He laughed softly. He threw the keys over and I grabbed him and kissed him.

I hugged him from behind and I placed my arms on either side of him as I kissed the side of his head. “Tell me you love me,” I told him.

“Oliver, I love you,” he said.

“Tell me you want me,” I said as I slid my nose and lips in his hair.

“Oliver, I want you,” he whispered, turning his face to me.

“Tell me you need me,” I said as I kissed down his face.

“Oliver, I need you,” he told me as he turned to face me.

“Tell me you’ll never leave me,” I told him staring into the green depths of truth that were his eyes. His eyes never lied. I looked at them now as I waited to hear his words.

“Oliver,” he said taking his hands into mine and looking right at me. “I will never leave you.”

“And neither shall I,” I told him. “Are you happy?” I asked him  

“I am very happy,” he told me softly.

”So happy you can touch the sky?” I asked with a smile on my face.

”More,” he replied as we laced our fingers together. “So happy I can touch three meters above the sky.”

I leaned in and kissed him. We kissed a while longer and we let go ouf our hands. I caressed his face. Could I be more in love? I would probably say no, but, I knew I would only fall more and more in love with him as the years went by. That I was certainly sure of.


	19. Compromise

The days in Rome flew by as there was so much to see and do. We had a list of places we wanted to see and we didn’t quite finish it. “We can come back,” I reminded him. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” he said with a smile.

We were on the train ride back and I decided to finally speak what had been on my mind. “So, we got five weeks left here,” I said. He looked at me and nodded. “When we return we have the wedding in Napa.”

“I’m so looking forward to that,” he said grinning.

“Oh me too!” I said. I continued. “Your dad told me my dad would be here for our last ten days so we could celebrate my birthday with him.”

“Yeah! Awesome isn’t it?”

“It is, very awesome,” I said, grinning. I kept on. “So anyway, Thornton is in downtown LA,” I said. He nodded looking up at me. “And our home is in Santa Barbara, you know.”

“I do know,” he said chuckling.

“So, we have to get you a car -“

“Which I’m gonna work for,” he said.

“Which you’re gonna work for, yes,” I said, still not happy about it but, nothing I could do. “But you can’t drive back and forth from Santa Barbara to LA, baby. Not five days a week. It’s too much you, for anyone.”

He nodded and pursed his lips together. “I thought of this too,” he said. I nodded. “Courtney and Scott were going to get an apartment together.”

“Which makes a lot of sense since Scott is now done school but I have two years left,” I said. Elio nodded. “Just like you can’t do the drive neither can I,” I said.

“So we need to find a place in the middle,” he said.

“It would make the most sense because I am not gonna live anywhere without you,” I said furrowing my brow. The thought was insanity.

Elio laughed. He grabbed my hand. “Neither am I,” he said.

“So, the middle,” I said glancing his way. “The middle is Ventura county.”

Elio froze and looked at me. “Kat’s there.”

“She is,” I said. I took a deep breath in. “So I wanted to speak to you before we spoke to them. Even if we get our own apartment we don’t quite have time to get one in days and so we will need a place right away,” I looked at Elio. He looked a little pale but nodded. I hated how he looked. “But we don’t have to. I’ll make the drive, Elio, I’ll make it work till we find a place ok?”

“No!” He said. “No that’s not fair to you. Plus you say you’ll make the drive as if we have a place in LA to go to. We don’t. We have our home and then we have... Kat’s.” He looked at me. “Plus, Oliver, why are you even worried about me? I mean this is all about you -“

“It’s not all about me,” I said. “It’s about us.” We sat silently for a moment. “Conner is decent,” I said looking at him.

“He is,” Elio said. He took a deep breath in and out. “We would still have to have a talk,” he said softly. I nodded. I knew what he meant. “You and her -“

“And you too,” I said quickly. “I can’t do it alone.”

“You’ll never have to,” he said softly. “Maybe it’s for the best.”

I nodded. “So we’ll return, and I’ll like us to have a great time in Napa without this hanging over our heads,” I said.

“We will. Kat won’t be jumping for opportunities to clear the air. You’ll have to initiate it. So, take comfort in the fact that you’ll control when it happens,” he fold me. I sat a while in silence contemplating all he said. The more I thought of it, the more I felt he was right. “We could also be worried about nothing as she may tell us we can’t stay with her.”

I chuckled. “Nope, that won’t happen. She’ll say yes just to show how ok I am with her moving on and being with Conner. Which I am, don’t get me wrong,” I said as I glanced at Elio. “But she still has the need to seem perfect within her. I just hope no fights happen.”

Elio and I sat in silence. My mother seemed changed but I wondered how much she truly had changed. “I’m all for second chances,” Elio said taking my hand into his. Of course he was. He was an angel.

“Then I am too,” I said.

“Plus, as long as we’re together Oliver, everything else is secondary. I’d live out of a tent with you, ok!” I chuckled as I looked into his beautiful green eyes. He always knew what I needed and how to make me feel better.

“Don’t say that unless you mean it!” I said. 

“What!? You doubt me?!” He asked with mock indignation.

“I’m just saying that if Kat shows her claws and we’re running out of there in the middle of the night and we end up in a tent I don’t wanna hear any complaints!” I said laughing. Elio laughed too.

“If it comes to that I’d rather sleep in the back of your Cadillac. I think with the back seats down we’ll have more room than any tent we would get.”

“Ok then, deal, we’ll live in my Cadillac then.” I looked at him and smiled. He reached up and caressed my face.

“Don’t ever stop loving me this much,” he said softly. I kissed his hand.

“How could I ever stop?” I asked him.

He smiled and looked at me. “I’m sorry, I’m so silly,” he said.

“No. You’re just human. I forget sometimes,” I said. He looked at me, confused. “You’re so angelic I forget you’re a mere mortal like me.”

“Whatever,” He said chuckling. I laughed too and kissed his cheek.

 

* * *

 

The Professor was waiting for us in Milan when we got back. We drove back to the Villa in time for dinner. The difference in time between California and us was nine hours and after texting with my mom, we had all decided to Skype at 11 pm Italian time. Kat and Conner would be home then.

We didn’t tell the professor or Annella of our plans, not sure why, we just didn’t. Maybe we wanted to see what my mother said first before telling anyone. I had to break the news to my dad also. I know no one would keep us from staying with my mother if she said she didn’t mind having us five nights a week. That’s what we were going to do. We would drive there Sunday afternoon and Friday after school we would come home.

Elio held my hand all through dinner and then leaned against me as the night wore on. We stayed outside later than usual. The Professor had a friend over, an Opera singer and she was singing for us. Someone several villas away would call out “Bravo!” and the Professor thought it cruel to deny them of such beauty as his friends voice.

Shannon loved the whole thing and Elio and I laughed at how excited she was to hear the lady sing. Finally though, it was time to go inside. Elio and went into our room right before 10 and we laid in bed, both of us, fully dressed which never happened.

“I’ll do the asking,” I told him. He nodded as he powered up his laptop. Soon enough my mother and Conner came into view. I smiled as I saw she looked genuinely happy to not only see me but Elio too.

“I’ve missed seeing both your faces!” She said. Conner put an arm around her shoulders. “Elio! You look so manly! When did you get that jaw!” I smiled at this as Elio said he didn’t know. 

We had chatted for almost an hour when I noticed Elio stifled a yawn. Now was the time. “So,” I said. I glanced at Elio and smiled. He smiled back at me. “Elio and I have something we would like to discuss with you guys,” I said. They were all ears. I explained our predicament to my mom and Conner. “Now Elio could live on campus or get an apartment around but -“

“But in all reality Oliver and I want to come home to each other every night,” Elio said in a slow and soft tone. I looked at him. My heart could burst. “We love each other. We’re together. We don’t want to spend five nights a week apart if we don’t have to. I’ll make the drive if need be but -“

“You are not making the drive! We would get an apartment in LA and then I would make the drive if need be,” I said looking at him sternly. 

“So are you asking us if you can stay with us during the week?” My mom said. We stopped and stared at her.

“Yes,” we both said. 

She smiled. “I’d love to have you two stay with us. It would be great. Maybe you can stay some weekends too and ride the horses. Daisy would love you see you, Elio,” she said. 

I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders as did Elio. He leaned in and pushed my left shoulder with his right. I looked at my mom in the screen. I felt hopeful. Maybe... I swalllowed. This was a good step forward.

“Thanks mom,” I said.

“You’re welcome sweetheart,” she told me. I furrowed my brow, suddenly emotional. She hadn’t called me that in a long, long time.


	20. Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darlings! I’m so very sorry for taking so long in updating this little story! As much as I love Crema I don’t plan to be here more than 25 chapters so I was trying to figure out how to fit in all I want to fit in before the boys return to Cali! No more gaps! Enjoy my dears and thank you for being so patient!  
> Enjoy!  
> <3
> 
> Also: **_Happy Birthday to the best person in the world! Opie. I loves you lots._**

A few days later Elio and I were walking around the Villa after the sunset. The moon was bright and we could see everything easily.

“So I want us to spend a weekend in Crema,” he said. “Just enjoy the town. It’s nice and relaxing.”

“Oh it’s heaven, just like everything else here,” I said. He smiled and nodded. “Anything you want,” I said.

The following Friday, the professor drove us into town. We had brought bikes with us. We were staying at a lovely little place called the San Clemente. The shuttered windows looked out into the beautiful town below.

That first evening, we walked down to a pizza place nearby. The afternoon was warm and I loved how Elio looked with sweat on him. He looked beautiful and shiny, like an oiled marble statue. I couldn’t take my eyes off him as much as I tried. Then I realized I didn’t have to. He was mine. I could stare and admire and look all I wanted. We finished eating and he insisted we got ice cream. I told him yes anything he wanted. We got it and he gave me some of his and I gave him some of mine.

Once we were done we strolled around the Duomo Square. It was a leisurely stroll. I again, couldn’t keep my eyes off him. He seemed to notice now. “What?” He asked with a cute sideways smile.

“You’re just so beautiful,” I told him. I held him close to me and we walked more and he spoke of the old buildings but all I could focus on was him. “Can we go back to the hotel now?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said with a grin and we walked back. I couldn’t wait.

We got to our hotel and into the quaint hotel room. It was lovely and quiet and the evening setting sun was pouring in. It was a lovely orange hue. I held Elio tight and kissed him slowly. Slowly and long and gentle. It felt so good. If felt like home. “You make me so happy,” I told him.

The way he smiled at me, he made me feel like I was invincible. Like I could fly. The way he looked at me meant everything to me.

“You make me just as happy, Oliver,” Elio said back sweetly to me.

I pulled him in and kissed him hard. I wanted all of him. I quickly unbuttoned my shirt and started undoing my shorts. I was hurrying. I needed him. He must have seen the urgency in my eyes. His own beautiful eyes widened and he stared undressing too. He pulled his shirt and shorts off quickly. I pulled his naked body to me and kissed him as we stood by the bed. “I want you so badly right now,” I said.

“I know,” he replied. “I can feel it.” We smiled at each other. I walked to get the lube that was in our bag and I turned and saw him get on the bed. He laid on his stomach and pulled a pillow under his chest. He rested his chin on it. I got on the bed and he parted his legs, curved his back, bent his right knee, sliding it up and opened up for me.

I felt my breath catch in my throat. He had never done this. I felt my heart pounding. I had had Elio in so many ways and yet I always yearned and wanted more. My need and hunger for him was insatiable.

I crawled closer to him, once I was able to move again. I placed my right hand on the back of his right thigh. I ran my hand up slowly, gently, up to ass cheek. I squeezed it gently. He moaned. I kissed along his back. As I leaned in the tip of my cock slid between his ass cheeks and he moaned softly again and rocked his hips back and forth.

“Oh, baby,” I said as I kissed the back of his neck. I quickly put lube on my erection. I couldn’t wait any longer. “Elio, baby,” I said desperately. “I need you,” and I pushed myself in. I tried to restrain myself but found I couldn’t. In a few strokes I was in all the way. I couldn’t stop. There was no way of stopping. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight.

His moans were soft and sweet. I felt him clasp one of my hands and we laced fingers. I was clinging on him tightly. I wanted him even tighter. I felt him rock his hips with mine. His soft skin pressing into my groin as I thrusted in. Our bodies knew each other so well. There was no need to try to remember how we liked it or what we liked. We knew. By memory. My heart and body knew him as his heart and body knew me.

I kept our fingers laced and I slid my other hand down his gorgeous sweaty body. I clasped his erection. Another sweet moan. “Oliver,” he said. 

“Yes, Elio,” I replied.

“I’m all yours. I’m all yours.”

I moaned and kissed him. My body was on fire. I wanted to somehow take him into me as he took me into him. I didn’t even understand it myself. All I knew was that I never wanted to be without him. Around me. Breathing the same air as me. “Oliver,” he whispered my name again. I couldn’t even reply. I just kissed his skin and kept making love to him. I finally found a steady rhythm. Long, steady strokes, it pleased him greatly. I could tell.

I felt the quickening in his thrusts. I held him a bit tighter. I ran my thumb over his slit, rubbing the wetness over his head in circles. He moaned and groaned. I felt him squeeze my hand tighter. I felt him thrust in my hand and then he came. His whole beautiful body shuddered and writhed. The most beautiful sound in the world was Elio coming in my arms. I closed my eyes and came in him. It was perfect. It was all I ever needed. Ever wanted. The world and everything in it made perfect sense.

We laid there for a moment, still and panting. Finally I lifted my self up and slid out of him slowly. I grabbed a towel and cleaned myself up. I cleaned him up gently too. I turned him over and wiped him down. He reached up and caressed my face. “I love you,” he said.

“Not as much as I love you,” I replied.

He gave me his sweet smile. I tossed the towel aside and leaned down and kissed his lips. The sun was almost entirely set so I got up and turned the small bedside lamp on. “Want your boxers?” I asked.

He shook his head no and pulled the covers over himself. I walked over and got into bed with him, spooning him. The lamp light was soft and gentle. We laid there a while and I gently caressed his arm. I felt at peace. I felt... like it was time to speak.

“I want to marry you,” I said softly. It felt right to say it like this. I continued before I started over thinking it. “I want to marry you when you’re ready, when you feel it’s time,” I whispered. “I am ready now,” I said gently. “You’re younger and there are so many changes that are about to happy and I don’t want to ever add to the stress. I want to relieve it. I want to make everything better and happier for you.”

I leaned down and kissed his shoulder gently. “I’m not looking for an answer, or anything like that,” I said. “I love you. You know I love you and I just want to say and be very clear in my intentions and the fact that I want to marry you and one day I want to be your husband,” the last word came out even softer. I was getting emotional. “Whenever you’re ready baby. Don’t rush. When the time comes, you’ll know. I’ll be right here.”

I closed my eyes and nuzzled his hair. My heart was pounding away so hard I’m sure he felt it. But it felt good. This felt right. I was a man who knew his heart. Who knew his truth and I had stated it. Here. In Crema. I could never regret this.

I felt his soft hand caress my arm. “I love you just as much and yes,” he said. “Yes. The moment I am ready, we will marry and I will be your husband for the rest of my life.” His voice was barely a whisper.

“I’ll wait for you forever,” I said.

“You won’t have to wait forever,” he said. “Just a few more years. Least till I hit my twenties,” he said with a sweet laugh and I couldn’t help but smile and laugh as well.

I couldn’t believe this was me and this was my life. How could anyone be so happy? Did I deserve this? I didn’t know. Elio deserved it thought. Elio deserved happiness and if fate had decided that I would be the one who’s responsibility it was to keep this beautiful soul happy then I would take that task and do the best I could for the rest of my life.


	21. Asking Permission

The next couple of days I had a tour of Crema. We went back to the Duomo Square and took a good look at the Duomo itself.

“The original cathedral in the town was destroyed in 1160,” Elio said, giving me his history lesson. “A new building was started in 1185 but they stopped and built intermediately and it wasn’t finished until 1340. In 1385 they added a crypt.”

I nodded as I looked up at the building. I took some pictures of him in front of it.

Next he took me to the Civic Museum which was in the former Convent of Saint Augustine. There was a wonderful archeological section with items from the early Middle Ages and recovered along the shores of the Adda and Oglio rivers. It was all so beautiful to see.

Elio also took me to the Teatro San Domenico. It was in a beautiful old square. I loved the cobble stone streets. I loved how I felt as if I was in another time. In front of it was a monument for the fallen. The whole square was magical and I enjoyed being there.

I was also shown the Palazzo Bondenti Terni de Gregory. “Construction of the building began in 1698 by the will of Nicolò Maria Bondenti,” Elio said. “There are four sculptures inside that were made in 1716 by Carlo Francesco Mellone and Giovan Battista Dominone from Milan. They represent Generosity, Wisdom and Prosperity, and the woman with sheep in reference to the Wool business of the Bondenti family.” 

I smiled at Elio. I loved how he just knew all this. We went to several restaurants and went dancing. Sunday night we got a pizza and took it to our room and relaxed. The Professor was coming for us the following Monday morning. My confession Friday of wanting to marry him had somehow seemed to bring us closer and I was amazed by that. Just when I thought we couldn’t become more intimate, we did. I had taken many pictures and was looking through them and showing Elio.

We had eaten and were leaning back in bed relaxing. I felt Elio sigh. “Part of me doesn’t want to leave,” he said. I chuckled. We had four weeks left. My father was coming in two.

“I know what you mean,” I said. “I told you, this is heaven. My soul is at peace.”

“You must be excited about seeing your dad though,” he said.

“I am. I’m sure Tina will like it,” I told him.

“I wish Courtney was coming,” Elio said. I nodded. I had actually wondered if my father might maybe bring her and Scott along. It would be a really fun way to end our vacation.

“Well, even if she doesn’t come we’ll see them soon. And you’ll be seeing her on campus all the time,” I said. I pulled him close. “Are you nervous about Thornton?” I asked him.

“No,” he said.

“You’re not?” I asked grinning at him.

“No!” He said sitting up and looking at me. He was grinning back. “I auditioned and made it in which means I belong there,” he said. “I’ve worked hard all my life when it came to piano. I applied myself and dedicated countless hours to being the best I can be. Now I’m going to be a famous pianist and play concerts or maybe just become a famous composer and my music will be in soundtracks and maybe plays or broadway musicals.”

I stared at him in amazement. “Yes,” I said. “You’re so talented you can do whatever you want,” I whispered to him.

“And you’ll become a philosophy professor,” he whispered to me. “And that’s who we’ll be. The professor and the musician.”

I chuckled at that. “I like it.”

“Me too,” he said. He looked up and I leaned down and kissed him.

 

* * *

 

The Professor came and picked up us the following day at 11 am. We had woken up and had had breakfast in our room and then had packed up and were ready to go.

“Did you boys have fun?” He asked us.

We told him we did and Elio told him about the spots he showed us.

“Wonderful,” he commented. “I was thinking, we need to go to Lake Garda, maybe in a few days and we can take Shannon with us, what do you boys say?”

“We say yes,” Elio said. I smiled at him and held his hand. I truly never wanted to leave this place.

 

* * *

 

We made it home past lunch time. Elio and I had a light snack and then retired to our room to nap before dinner. He fell asleep before me and I watched him quietly until sleep found me. When we awoke a couple of hours later, we got up and showered and then made our way down to dinner. 

There were no dinner guests tonight. It was just the Perlmans, Shannon and myself. There was lively conversation and we showed Shannon the pictures of Crema that we took.

“This place is just magical,” Shannon said. I nodded in agreement.

“It would be nice to maybe come back for our honeymoon,” I said glancing at Elio and suddenly realized what I said when he blushed a deep red and the whole table went quiet.

“Did you propose?” Annella asked. 

I swallowed. “I... I mean,” I looked at Samuel and Annella and cleared my throat. I sat up and squared my shoulders. I had to do this right. “Professor, Annella,” I said, sounding serious. “It wasn’t exactly a proposal, but my intentions are to marry Elio. It’s what I want,” I said. I reached for his hand and held it. He squeezed it tightly. “I love him and he’s perfect in every way but, he’s about to start an exciting and amazing time in his life and I don’t mean to rush him. I want him to take his time and when he’s ready, nothing would make me happier than to be his husband.”

Elio bit his bottom lip and looked at his parents shyly.

“Elio?” Annella asked. “This is all up to you, tesoro,” she said.

“I want to spend my life with Oliver,” Elio said. “Just maybe in a few more years. I’m not trying to be a teenage husband,” he said with a cute smile and the table burst out in easy laughter. 

“Oh, you guys are so perfect together,” Shannon said, sounding emotional and started sniffling.

Elio, who was closer to her suddenly looked concerned. “Don’t cry,” he said.

“Oh they’re happy tears, Elio,” she said wiping her eyes. “You two are so lucky, always remember that and always take care of each other. Okay?” She told us.

“Okay,” we both said nodding.

“And invite me to the wedding!” She said in an excited voice.

“We will!” I said. We laughed again. I couldn’t believe it. Just when I thought I couldn’t get any happier, I did. I couldn’t believe my luck.


	22. Love At First Sight

The trip to Lake Garda was made that following weekend. The lake was absolutely breathtaking.Making it even more beautiful was the nearby town of Sirmione. We went and looked at the San Pietro in Mavino church as as well as Scaliegro Castle.

We stayed at the Hotel Sirmione and whenever we had the chance we went outside and ate right by the river side. It was a sight to behold.

The three days we went there consisted of nothing but of fine food, sight seeing, swimming and naps. I loved the way Elio would cuddle up to me, limbs warm and pliant after a nice hot shower after a day of being out sight seeing and swimming when it was time for our afternoon naps. I realized I would even miss the naps. If just wasn’t something we did in California.

Our weekend in Lake Garda was over too soon and then we went back to the Villa and suddenly we were facing down Shannon’s last five days. She felt it too. We all felt it. We spent time with her everyday, chatting and talking and it seemed we raked our brains for things we wanted to say and ask her. Our time was suddenly limited. I knew after she was gone I only had three weeks myself which meant I had been there for nine. I sighed. Real life was suddenly looming in an unpleasant way.

 

* * *

 

Time was cruel those last five days and it flew by. It was hard saying goodbye to Shannon. Even I teared up as I held her that last day. Elio suddenly throwing his slender arms over both of us. Shannon and I laughed through the tears and the three of us held each other.

“I’ve never been to California,” she said. 

“You need to come as soon as possible,” Elio said, his lips red and shiny from crying. I couldn’t help but wipe his tears away and kiss the top of his head.

“I’m so glad I met you guys,” she said and we all embraced again. She hugged the Perlmans and then we watched as she climbed on her train and was gone. The ride back to the Villa was a solemn one and I held Elio’s hand. I told myself I was holding his hand as a way to console him but I was doing it just as much for myself.

“Is it always this sad after the six weeks?” I found myself asking them as we drove back.

“No,” Annella said as she turned to me and smiled. “No, Shannon was special.” I nodded and felt somewhat better, I wasn’t sure why.

 

When we reached the Villa, Elio and I climbed to our room and laid down in bed. “Three more weeks,” he said.

“Twenty one more days,” I said. “Let’s count days, the count is so much greater.”

He chuckled. He took a deep breath in and out. “When are we going to tell them we’re going to be staying with your mom?” He asked me softly.

I had wondered that myself more and more these last few days. “The day before we leave,” I said. Elio stayed quiet. “I think your parents and my dad will be apprehensive, obviously,” I said. “But I’m pretty sure they won’t say no or stop us but they’ll worry and no need to worry them longer than we should when the subject isn’t up for discussion.” I looked down at him as he lay on my chest. “What do you think?” I asked him.

He took a deep breath in and out and was in deep thought for a while. I didn’t rush him I just let him be and think it through. “Yeah, ok, I’m cool with that,” he said looking up at me and nodding with certainty.

I nodded back. And just like that, Elio and I made our first decision as a couple living together. It felt good. I pulled him close to me and kissed him on top of the head.

 

* * *

 

“Elizabeth's spirits soon rising to playfulness again, she wanted Mr. Darcy to account for his having ever fallen in love with her.

“How could you begin?" said she. "I can comprehend your going on charmingly, when you had once made a beginning; but what could set you off in the first place?"

"I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun."

"My beauty you had early withstood, and as for my manners—my behaviour to you was at least always bordering on the uncivil, and I never spoke to you without rather wishing to give you pain than not. Now be sincere; did you admire me for my impertinence?"

"For the liveliness of your mind, I did."”

I smiled as I listened to Elio read. His beautiful voice floated around me and around us as he read. We had about 30 pages left in Pride and Prejudice and I had enjoyed every moment of it. I looked up at him. I had my head on his lap and he stroked my hair as he read to me.

“I like that,” I said. “I can understand that,” I told him.

“What?” Elio asked smiling down at me.

“He couldn’t tell when he had began to have feelings for her, he was already in the thick of it when he realized what was going on,” I told him looking up at him again.

“I liked you the moment I met you,” Elio told me with a smile, setting the book down. I grinned.

“Love at first sight?” I asked. 

“It’s hard to not find you incredibly attractive, come on,” he said. “Then as I got to know you, the inside was even more beautiful than the outside. So smart, so articulate, so deep and thoughtful and amazing,” Elio said caressing my face.

“Thank you,” I said, taking his hand in mine and kissing it. I looked at him for a moment.

“What?” He asked me softly.

“When I saw you at the airport, it wasn’t the first time I saw you,” I said with a smile.

“What?” He asked with a chuckle.

“I saw your profile in the website, you know the one where the families pick the students from? I saw your photo there. You’re extremely photogenic, and of course, you’re just as beautiful in person,” I said. “But I saw your picture and I liked what I saw.”

“Oh really?” He asked softly. 

I nodded. “Then, you came and we met and you opened that lovely mouth of yours and I didn’t stand a chance,” I said grinning up at him still. He laughed his cute laugh and leaned down and kissed me. I sighed. “I don’t mean to be a drag but I suddenly wondered about being at my mom’s. About being like this in the living room, being ourselves,” I said looking up at him. 

“Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Maybe we can start out slow,” he said. “Holding hands on the couch, then me sitting on your lap, then sticking our tongues down each other’s throats,” he said. I started laughing loudly.

“Oh god,” I said. I tried to imagine my mother’s face if she caught Elio and I making out. I laughed again.

“Then, once it becomes normal for you and I to play tonsil hockey anywhere in the house then, we can just fuck on the couch and just be totally us,” he said. “Then you know, you can tell your mom, wow, that couch is so damn sturdy!”

I kept laughing. I couldn’t help it. “God I love you so much,” I said.

“I love you just as much baby,” he said. He kept caressing my face and hair. I reached up and cupped his face with my hand.

“Whatever happens, we’ll be together and we’ll always figure it out.”

“That we will,” he said and leaned down and kissed me again this time I grabbed his face and after some maneuvering he ended up laying on top of me on the couch. I squeezed him to me. 

“So love at first?” He asked softly.

“Love at first sight,” I said nodding.


	23. Best I Ever Had

We had a few more days before my father came to Italy. As happy as I was to see him, I knew him being here meant I would only have two weeks left.

Elio and I were at the pool, dipping in the cool water under the hot sun. It was not as hot now, I had noticed the sun started to not be as hot in mid August.

We swam and talked and then went and laid in our room a while. Once we awoke, we showered and went down for dinner. Dinner was a pleasant as always. The Perlmans had dinner guests and they were lively and fun. After dinner was over Elio grabbed my hand.

“Let’s go for a walk,” he told me. I nodded and smiled. We held hands and walked along his mother’s trees. They looked beautiful in the moonlight. There was so much beauty here that I would miss. I glanced at Elio. He was looking up at the dark sky and the moon.

“Gonna miss this place,” I said.

“Me too,” Elio replied. I wrapped my arm around him. I’m sure he would miss it even more than me.

We walked for a long while that night and finally made it in and to our room. I held him in my arms and looked out the large window of the bedroom.

“Well, least we know we will be together every single night from now on,” I said. “No matter where we are.”

“Yes,” Elio replied and kissed me. We settled in and fell asleep soon after.

 

* * *

 

The Friday of that week Elio and I were up in the attic.

“Your dad comes Monday,” he said. I nodded. “I wonder if this weekend will be the last weekend for us up here,” he said quietly.

I sighed and thought about it. Deep down I knew he was right. My father and Tina will want to experience everything I had been experiencing the last ten weeks and we only had 2 weeks to do it. “We probably won’t be having any naps before supper,” I said.

“I know,” he replied.

“Unless we sneak up here at night,” I said. “For old times sakes.” Elio laughed a cute laugh.

“Well, if our time is limited here,” he said climbing on top of me. “Might as well make the best of it,” he said. I grinned up at him. I pulled him to me and we kissed. I loved being up here. The world seemed even more far away and all that existed was us and this mattress and this room and the golden sunlight that shone in.

We kissed for a good while. Elio’s kisses had gotten deeper, longer, more sensual while we had been here. There were moments we would just kiss. It was as if it was an intimacy he hadn’t truly appreciated before and he was so good at it. The little breaks he would take to catch his breath were full of little pecks on the outside of my mouth. Sometimes a soft caress of his nose along my jaw and then he would resume kissing me.

Of course, the fact that I was thoroughly infatuated by his lips made this experience so much better. I loved when a soft moan would escape him. I could judge my those when the kissing would turn into more. Sometimes it didn’t and that was fine with me. But here, in the attic, I knew it would. There was no rush thought. At least for today and the next two days there would be no rush. Just slow andlanguid kissing and physical enjoyment of one another. We could worship each other’s bodies at our own leisure. 

We pulled apart from a kiss and I kissed down his gorgeous neck. He moaned. “I want to be inside you,” he said softly.

“I want you inside of me,” I said.

“Yes,” he said breathlessly as his lips found mine again.

We kissed some more and then he got up on his knees as I turned onto my stomach. I felt his hands all over my body. I felt his lips on my lowers back, his hands massaging my skin. “Your ass is so fucking sexy,” he said. I grinned. I really hoped Elio would never grow out of that. The commentary he always held while we had sex. I wondered if I had ever told him.

“I love how you talk during sex,” I said.

“You mean while I fuck you,” he said chuckling. “Because when you’re ramming into me I can’t put two words together,” he said.

“Not true. You say ‘fuck, yes’ perfectly and over and over.”

We laughed and he massaged my back. I gasped when he slid into me. I wasn’t quite expecting it. He moaned as he started thrusting in and out of me.

“Fuck you feel so good,” Elio said. “So, so good. So warm and tight and amazing,” he said. His hands roam all over me. They’re soft yet intense. I can feel the intensity in the way he digs his fingertips into my skin. I groaned as I feel him thrusting forcefully into me. I loved this. I loved him letting go and being forceful. 

I groaned as his thrusts force me down into the mattress. I got down on my elbows. He loved it like this. He could deeper. I loved how he moaned. “You’re body is so perfect,” he said loudly as he panted. Every thrust he made felt good. I loved the feeling of his body fucking me. It was so pleasurable. It was perfect.

“I love how you fuck me, baby,” I told him.

“I fuck you good?” He asked.

I grinned. “No one could fuck me like you do,” I tell him and moan as he goes in even deeper. His beautiful body was made to fit perfectly in mine. My erection is needing attention. I reach down and stroke. It doesn’t take me long before I climax. He does too soon after.

I love how his body gently trembles above mine. I lay on the mattress and he lays on top of me for as long as he needs to. Once we’ve both caught our breaths, we clean up and pull each other close. We have a thin blanket we throw on top, we stay undressed.

“Once we’re in school we won’t be able to make love in the middle of the afternoon,” he said.

“We’ll make up for it on the weekends,” I said softly caressing him.

“Do...” he drifted off. 

I looked down at him. “What?” I asked.

He was blushing. I was intrigued. “You’re the only person I’ve ever been with,” he said. “Do other couples... ah, I mean, like -“

I chuckled. “Not all,” I said. I knew what he was wanting to ask. I lifted myself on my left arm. I ran my hand from his chest to his stomach. “The way I feel with you,” I said softly. “I have never ever felt.” I looked into his eyes. I had never spoken to him of exes. Everyone was so insignificant compared to him. So dull. So unimportant. 

He stared up into my eyes. “How many partners have you had?” He asked me.

I caressed his face. “Before you, four,” I said. My heart was thumping. He and I had now been together other a year and I felt this shouldn’t matter now. He was also older and hopefully he wouldn’t feel weird or hurt or anything hearing this. “You’re the only person I’ve ever bottom for,” I told him. He nodded and smiled. He knew it. 

“Just me,” he said. 

“Just you,” I repeated. “Because I love you. Just you. You’re the love of my life,” I said. His cheeks again blushed. I kissed them. He was so beautiful.

“Before me, how long was your longest relationship?” He asked me.

“9 months,” I said.

“Am I...” he drifted off again. “Like, compared to the others, am I -“ 

“That is not a fair question,” I said softly. He looked confused. I smiled down at him as I leaned into him and caressed his face. “There is absolutely no way to compare anyone else to you,” I told him. “To your perfection and your beauty.” 

If I thought I had seen Elio blush before I was mistaken. I had never seen him so red as he was right then and there, down his neck to his chest. I loved him.

“You are an absolute work of art and I have never ever desired another human being as I desire you still, baby,” I said. “The love we make,” I continued. “Has no comparison and is in such a different level,” I said. “Everything about us is so incredibly magical,” I say to him. “I don’t even think you’re human sometimes. Your body is the epitome of all things beautiful and perfect, as is your soul.”

Elio gave me the sweetest little smile. I kissed him all over his face. He chuckled. I pulled him into my arms. “Thank you,” He said softly.

“For pointing out the obvious?” I asked. I grinned at him. He grinned back. I loved it. “I’m the luckiest man alive,” I whispered to him.

“No, I am,” He said softly to me. He wrapped his arms around my neck. “I am, I am,” he said and we kissed again. Long, passionate kisses. They were lovely and deep and then turned hungry. I groaned into his neck as my erection rubbed his. He moaned and turned around, rubbing the soft skin of his ass against my hard on. 

I reached for the lube and entered him quickly. I took my time. I enjoyed him. Enjoyed everything about him and everything he made me feel. I made sure he enjoyed it. I made sure he felt loved and needed and wanted. “The thought that I get to make love to you for the rest of my life is amazing beyond comparison,” I said as I kissed along his shoulder. 

“Yes,” he said. “Yes.”

I moaned and continued. The intensity built slowly. Once I was close to orgasm I turned him on to his back and we looked into each other’s eyes as we came. I laid on him and he caressed me. It had felt so good and right. 

“I love you,” I told him.

“I love you,” he replied.

“That’s all I’ll ever need,” I said said and kissed his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shameless plug time! I have a new fic I’ve posted. It isn’t a CMBYN, it’s inspired by The Captive Prince trilogy. If you haven’t read the books, you should! If you’re interested, here it is:
> 
> [A Song Without Words](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16794829/chapters/39418582) 


	24. Family Reunion

The professor and I were the only ones that left for Milan. He said we needed the space, which was slightly surprising since I was sure we could have easily fit my dad and Tina along with Elio and himself. I didn’t argue though, it would be rude to.

The Professor and I had pleasant conversation on the long drive. We finally made it to the airport and parked and made our way inside. I was excited to see my dad. We found his terminal and patiently waited. Finally the plane landed. I looked over the heads of the crowd around me and easily spotted my father who was as tall as me. I grinned and stepped forward. I saw Tina with him. Then Courtney. Then Scott. I was overwhelmed. Almost all of my overwhelming happiness though was for when Elio saw Courtney. I walked over and hugged everyone but hugged my dad the longest. I couldn’t wait to show him the beautiful scenery and the tranquil space.

 

* * *

 

My dad sat upfront with the Professor and I sat in the back with Tina and Courtney and Scott. The van was full of conversation and laughter. This was wonderful.

“Aw it sounds like you and Elio have been having the best of times,” Courtney said.

I grinned and nodded. “It’s been magical,” I said. She patted my arm and looked happy to hear it.

We finally made it to the Villa, the ride seeming much quicker returning than going. We exited and Elio came out. My dad stepped out and so did Tina and then I did and I looked at Elio when he saw Courtney. His jaw dropped and I loved seeing the utter shock and surprise. I absolutely loved it. My heart soared.

He and Courtney ran to one another and hugged tightly. I loved how happy they looked. When Courtney pulled back I saw her eyes were teary. “I missed you so much,” I heard her say and that truly warmed my heart. Nothing, absolutely nothing in the world brought me more absolute happiness than Elio’s happiness. This was priceless to me.

 

* * *

 

As I figured, there was no afternoon nap that day. Everyone chatted and caught up and Elio and I were asked about all we had done and we mentioned all the places we had visited and all the relaxing days that were spent relaxing at our leisure. We talked of dinner guests and Elio and I mentioned Shannon.

“Who were going to invite to our wedding,” Elio said. This of course, brought the shocked looks from Courtney, my dad, Tina and Scott.

“You’re engaged?” Courtney asked.

“Not exactly,” Elio said. I saw him glance at my dad.

“We have spoken and we know this is what we want but not right now. In a few years. No wedding any time soon,” I said explaining as we had a few weeks ago.

“Wow,” Courtney said. She looked at both of us and squeezed Elio’s hand.

After all this we moved outside to eat dinner. It was wonderful and the table had never been fuller. Elio and I sat side by side and I had a hard time keeping my eyes off him. His beautiful face was filled with joy. Courtney sat at the other side of Elio and Scott further down. Scott and I sometimes caught each other’s gaze and smiled as we looked at Courtney and Elio laughing and talking. I knew he was feeling the same way as me.

 

* * *

 

The days passed by extremely fast. Somehow it seemed like there weren’t enough hours between breakfast and dinner for all we wanted to show my dad, Tina, Courtney and Scott. There were a couple of days in Crema and there were talks of Bergamo and it seemed we were going to spend the weekend in Rome.

It was ok, but after a few days I was beginning to feel the need for Elio. It suddenly brought me back to when his parents came to visit us in California and we had gone five days without each other. After three nights of us collapsing with exhaustion in our beds, I decided that another night would not go by without me having him.

We were supposed to leave for Bergamo tomorrow. We had packed after dinner and then collapsed on the bed.

I took a deep breath in and out. I wanted to be considerate, of course, and not be pushy but I just wanted to let him know I missed being close to him. I reached over and held his hand. “Elio,” I said softly. It was so obvious in my voice. 

We turned and looked at one another. We didn’t have to speak. We knew. We rolled to each other. It was slightly rushed and desperate. I loved how Elio closed his eyes and panted as he pulled off my shirt. As he undid my pants. I was suddenly naked and so was he. We were full of need and want. Elio climbed in top of me and I wrapped my hand around his erection. 

“It’s so beautiful,” I whispered to him. “Just like you.” He blushed, but it passed quickly. He started thrusting against my hand. My free hand went to his hip. I wrapped my hand around both of our erections. I wanted him and he wanted me and it wouldn’t have been fair to make the other wait. We needed this together. 

I let Elio set the pace. He laid his hands on my chest and I loved looking up at him as he closed his eyes and lost himself in what he was doing. What his body needed. What I needed. It was so good. It was beyond good.

My eyes wandered down Elio’s chest and abdomen, his muscles flexing under his soft skin. I moaned in pleasure as the intensity built. I felt it up my legs and down my abdomen. I was panting, muscles tightening as Elio’s beautiful body took control of mine in every way. I gazed up at him as he moaned, closed his eyes and went faster. He needed it as much as I did. We came together. Our warm released spread across my abdomen. He shuddered gently as his body shook with pleasure. 

He rolled off me and stayed laying there a moment. He went and got a towel and wiped me clean. He climbed into the bed and into my arms.

“Oh god I needed that,” he said.

I chuckled. “So did I,” I told him.

We kissed softly. We laid down and held each other drifted off to sleep.


	25. The Return

The last few days in Italy flew by. Elio and I made sure to make time for ourselves as we ran around with family, sightseeing and going all over the place. It was wonderful to be there with my dad and I loved how happy Elio was with Courtney experiencing everything with us.

My birthday then came. Mafalda outdid herself and cooked up the most amazing feast of food as well as several cakes and pies. It was wonderful. We had this for lunch because Elio and I were going to Crema and spending the night there. Needless to say I was more than looking forward to it.

After a wonderful lunch with everything, the Professor gave me this keys to a four door sedan he had. “I think you know the way already,” he said. I did.

Elio and I took off. It was wonderful. We got to Crema right before dinner, checked into our hotel and then went to eat. We went a small place and had an amazing dinner. We then went dancing. We stayed for a while and then went to the place we had gone with Marzia and danced until we were sweaty and tired. We then returned to our hotel room.

Elio grabbed me and kissed me the moment we were inside. It was passionate. Deep. Emotional. Amazing. I pulled back and looked at him and he grabbed me again. “Happy Birthday baby,” he said as he pulled off my shirt. The way he was taking control of the situation was such a turn on. He was so incredibly sexy. He reached for my shorts, undid them and pushed them down. I was completely undressed. He pushed me down and sat me at the edge of the bed.

I watched as he unbuttoned the red top he was wearing and slid it off. He undid his jeans. I ran my hand over the soft, milky skin of his abdomen. He smiled down at me. He pushed his jeans down and off. He was in his boxers. I looked up at him as I ran my fingertips along the edge of his boxers. I was painfully hard. He was just... so beautiful.

He held on to my shoulders as I slowly slipped his boxers down over his hips and down his thighs. I caressed the sides of his thighs as I pulled him into me. I kissed his abdomen. I pushed him back gently, bent down and took him in my mouth. He gripped my shoulders tighter. I loved how he moan. I sucked him for a while. I wrapped my arms around his thin waist and supported his back as I sucked him harder. He moaned and I felt the arch of his lower back. I made sure I held him up. After a moment of pleasing him, I released him and kissed up his abdomen.

“Are you my birthday present?” I asked him.

He looked down at me and caressed my face. “Yes and no,” he said with a lovely laugh. He pulled free and walked to our overnight bag. He reached in and pulled out a wrapped square box. He came over and gave it to me. I grinned up at him and took it. He had packed our bag and I hadn’t said anything since I figured he would have something for me. I was so excited. “Open it,” he said softly.

I did so. I reached round the side and gently ripped the wrapping paper. There was a white box inside. I opened it and inside it was a small wooden chest. He grinned. I grinned back and opened it. Inside, on the underside of the lid was a card with his writing on it that said ‘365 Days of I Love Yous.’ I stared and looked down. The small chest was full of what looked like small scrolls, each tied with a little red ribbon. I stared at him.

He smiled and blushed a little. “It’s says 365 but there are 366 so you can open one today,” he said. He looked at me. “Just some of the reasons why I love you.” I looked down in amazement. “You open one every day for the next year,” he said.

I nodded, speechless. I didn’t know if there were that many in the small chest but there were a lot, and I knew even if he didn’t have 366 in there now, he would add more as time went by and he would make sure I had a year supply of this. I couldn’t believe it. I reached for one. I pulled the little red ribbon off it and unrolled the little scroll open with my fingertips. My heart was pounding. It was hand written. I took a shaky breath in. 

“The way you kiss my cheeks whenever I blush, it’s tender and sweet,” I read. I choked up a bit. I couldn’t believe how emotional this was. I continued. “It’s loving and affectionate and it’s just one of the many reasons that I love you.”

I laughed and pulled him to me and kissed him. “I love you,” he said.

“Oh baby, I love you,” I told him. “God you’re incredible.” I gently closed the chest and put it on the bedside table. I wrapped him in my arms and ran my hands up and down his body. 

Our kisses drew more intense. “Lean back on the headboard,” he whispered. I scooted back and did as he asked me too. He grabbed some lube and came back to the bed. He climbed on the bed and crawled toward me. He straddled me and kissed me deeply. He stroked me. I groaned on his lips. He pulled back and put lube on his hand and stroked it on me. It felt so good. He cleaned his hand and then took both my hands and pulled me up, into a straightened sitting position. “Gonna need your help,” he said.

He then turned around and slid back closer to me. I ran my hands up his sides. We had never done this position before and I was so turned on by it. I squeezed his ass cheeks. I grabbed his hips and pulled him to me. I was so ready. I needed him badly. His feet were by my hips and his knees on either side of my thighs. His body was exquisite.

He couldn’t see behind him, so I guided him on me. I pushed my erection up. The view was everything. My tip was right at his entrance. I took hold of his hips and led him down on me. I watched, in amazement and rapture as every single hard and throbbing inch of me slid into his body. I had never been more turned on. He reached back and placed his hands on my hips, his head leaned back and on my shoulder. I turned and kissed his neck. It was incredible.

Our bodies moved in rhythm. It was incredibly sensual, the way his body moved against mine.My hands ran up and down the sides of his body, feeling it as he slowly and deliberately made love to me. I moaned and groaned in pleasure, kissing and sucking his neck. “Fuck, this is good,” I said as I dug my fingertips into his hips, pushing them down on me. I held him in place as he rolled his hips on me, keeping all of me inside of him. “Oh, fuck!” I breathed into his neck.

He reached up with his left arm and wrapped it around my neck. He ran his hand up the back of my head and pushed it to him, I nuzzled his neck, biting it. Kissing it. Licking it. I began to thrust up into him. He moaned louder. He shifted and leaned forward, his hands on my knees. I kept up my pace and began to fuck him. I loved being able to watch, seeing his soft, pale skin redden as we fucked harder.

“This is so good,” I said. I fucked him harder. I felt the tension building in me. I couldn’t get over how sexy he was. I knew I couldn’t hold it in much longer. I grabbed his hips and fucked him as hard as possible and came. I collapsed back against the bed. After a short moment I pushed up and grabbed Elio, pushing him down on the bed. I took him in my mouth. He came quickly after. We laid there, panting, hearts racing and feeling giddy and light headed.

We finally got up, cleaned up and laid back down on the bed. Elio pulled me to him and I looked up at him. I had another one of those moments where Elio just looked and seemed older. His jaw looked more defined and I thought of what he had just done to me... I smiled. I was sleepy. I felt good.

“Best birthday ever,” I said.

He chuckled. “That’s what you said last year,” he said.

“Well I meant it both times,” I replied, kissing his chest.

“How am I gonna top Italy next year?” He asked.

I laughed. “Better start planning it now,” I said lightheartedly.

“Mmmm yes,” he said. We kissed more and held each other. We cuddled close. It didn’t take long for us to fall sleep.

 

* * *

 

We were having dinner in Italy for the last time. The following day, we were driving into Milan and flying back. It almost didn’t feel real.

“I’m gonna miss it here,” I told Elio.

“Well, we’re gonna miss having you with us, Oliver. Having both of you, obviously,” Annella said.

Elio glanced at me and nodded. He cleared his throat. “So,” he said. Everyone turned and put their attention on him. He breathed in and out. “So, Oliver and I did a lot of thinking,” he said. “Him at UCSB and me about to start at Thornton,” he continued. “It’s a long drive between both places and we wanted to stay together obviously. We, uh, we figured we should be somewhere in the middle to make it easier for both of us,” Elio said.

“In the middle?” My father asked.

“Yeah. Between LA and Santa Barbara county,” I said.

He looked between Elio and I. “In Ventura?” He asked.

“Yes,” Elio said.

My father looked at us both. “Are you two sure about this?” He asked.

“I don’t understand,” the Professor said.

Elio looked at his dad. “We’re going to be spending five nights a week with Oliver’s mom while we’re going to school,” Elio said.

The Professor raised his eyebrows. “Tesoro,” Annella said. “Are... well, you’re both comfortable with that? She agreed?”

“We spoke to her last month,” I said. “After Elio and I talked and talked and talked and then we talked to her and it was settled.”

“Last month?” My dad asked. I looked into his eyes. He looked... I couldn’t tell if it was hurt or concern.

I felt Elio take my hand under the table. “Yes,” I said. I looked up and looked at my dad and Annella and the Professor. “Yes, Elio and I thought we would give this a try. She agreed. She knows we’re a couple. She knows we’re together,” I said squeezing his hand. “I know it was hard with her,” I told them all. “But, she seems to have turned a new leaf,” I said. “Plus, she is my mother,” I said. I was surprised at how my throat tightened. Elio’s hand tightened around mine.

“Oh, I know son,” my dad said.

“We know, sweetheart,” Annella said at the same time.

The Professor waited a moment. “Of course,” he said after everyone was quiet. “And both you and Elio know you have us, all of us, as well as Courtney and Scott -“

“And Chris and Josh,” my dad said.

The Professor nodded and smiled. “We all love you both. A lot. So does your mother,” he said. “Just sometimes us adults have silly expectations of what we want our children to be and when the reality doesn’t match the expectation, we have a hard time dealing,” he said. I nodded. “But like you said, she seemed to be dealing well now, you both said she’s been happier.”

“She is,” I said. I glanced at Elio who smiled at me. “And if shit hits the fan -“

“You’ll come and stay with us!” Courtney said.

“Well, you always have the guest house,” My father said. “Oh. Which... which reminds me,” Hugh said glancing at Tina. “Well, you boys know, Courtney and Scott got their place in LA,” my dad said.

“Yeah,” Elio replied.

“So, Tina moved in with me,” Hugh said. Tina smiled warmly at him and kissed his cheek.

“Nice,” I said. I grinned. I felt so happy for my dad.

“She is an amazing cook,” Hugh said. “It’s wonderful to have that at home.”

“Where is Rose?” I asked.

“She comes every so often but actually she’s been spending most of the time at your mom’s!” My dad said.

“Oh, it’ll be nice having here there,” Elio said looking at me.

“You’re right,” I said.

“And on that note,” the Professor said, standing up. He raised his glass and smiled. “Here is to us,” he said. “Family. Biological and chosen. To the happiness we bring each other. To the good memories made and to all the great memories to come.” Elio and I glanced at each other and smiled. “To family,” the professor repeated.

“To family,” we all replied and clinked our glasses together.

 

* * *

 

I sighed as I looked out the airplane window past Elio’s seat. He had fallen sleep and was laying on my shoulder. Courtney and Scott were in the row I’m front of us and my dad and Tina on the seats across the aisle from us. We still had several hours left on the flight. I looked out at window at the sky that was becoming brighter and bluer.

Just like that, my time in Italy was over and we were flying back to California. I would be lying to myself if a part of me wasn’t sad. It had been wonderful. Elio did nothing but live and exist in the moment and in the beauty of the villa and beauty of northern Italy. It was like living inside a dream. Like living inside of those paintings Elio and I had seen at the museums. It had been heaven.

Elio’s fingers were laced in mine and I rested my cheek on top of his head. It had been an amazing, life altering summer. I would imagine years from now looking back and really feeling that this time in Italy had marked a significant shift in the path my life was taking. My relationship with Elio seemed more concrete and our future certain, he was about to start at Thornton, I only had a couple of years left at UCSB. It felt as if my life had taken a large step forward, in the best direction. I was happy and, with Elio by my side, I felt complete. I felt as if I was being true to me and living the life I wanted to be living. I felt clarity in what I wanted my life to be. I smiled. As of this moment, regardless of what was to come, as long as I had Elio with me, I knew my future looked bright.

Elio shifted and sighed and nuzzled my nose in his hair. It was amazing how being with him made me more me. After all these years, I finally felt more like me. I finally felt as if the life I was living finally matched who I was inside. I had come to Italy not knowing how it would change me, how it would touch me. It was almost as if I had found myself and was going back a more confident and surer me. I looked at the blue sky and caressed the back of Elio’s hand with my thumb. Twelve weeks and I was going back more sure of all I thought was true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DARLINGS: I won’t be posting for a week from Dec 25 to Jan 1. I will be back on January 2nd with a chapter to ALL my fics, all my CMBYN fics and my Captive Prince fic. I wish you all a very safe and happy Holiday season! Best wishes to you and your loved ones and family and many blessings for the New Year!  
> Hugs!  
> <3


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